WHY?
Grieving dad ‘kills 2 in ramming of teen athletes’ a day after son dies in car crash
A GRIEVING dad allegedly killed two teenagers when he rammed into a group of high school athletes - the day after his son died in a car crash.
Max Leroy Townsend, 57, is facing 13 felony counts after his pick up truck ploughed into the young cross country runners in on Monday.
A senior Rachel Freeman, 17, died at the scene and sophomore Yuridia Martinez, 16, died in hospital after his vehicle barreled into the Moore High School track team.
Police say Townsend showed "signs of impairment" when he was pulled over three blocks away from the collision site by a local cop, reports
His 29-year-old son had been killed in a separate crash on Sunday and investigators are looking into anything linking the incidents.
Chief Todd Strickland of the Moore Police Department asked "was this an intentional act?"
"That is part of the investigation which detectives will try to prove or disprove," Strickland said.
Rachel's devastated dad Michael Freeman posted numerous emotional Facebook statements this week.
The day his daughter died, Freeman wrote: "She died doing what she absolutely loved, and she didn't suffer.
"In the blink of an eye she was in heaven--she had prepared for that journey years ago."
The City of Moore lit up their 34th street bridge with the girls' high school color "Royal Blue, Faithful, Always True" on February 6.
Moore High School also held a candlelight vigil for the students who were killed on February 4.
"You all can do something for us," Rachel's grieving dad wrote afterwards. "Something that will mean more to us than anything else.
"You all can make Rachel's death matter by taking her life to heart, and fill the lives of those around you with joy.
She died doing what she absolutely loved.
Michael Freeman
"You can love those who are hard to love. You can find your life's purpose and pour all your energies into it.
"But as you do all those things, think of Rachel's death and consider your end. Understand how fragile life really is."
On Wednesday, Yuidia's family also issued a heartbreaking statement about the promising athlete, who was also a twin sister.
"We were blessed for 16 years with an amazing baby girl who filed our home and our lives with joy and fun and beauty," it read.
"Yuridia had a heart for service and helping people in need," the Martinez family said, reports .
Townsend had many run-ins with the law before he allegedly drove into the unsuspecting students, online court records show.
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His previous convictions include driving under the influence, drug charges, and possessing stolen goods.
He is now facing two counts of first-degree manslaughter, two counts of leaving the scene of a fatal accident, four counts of driving under the influence and five counts of leaving the scene of an accident.
Townsend's bail was set at $1 million.
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