A 4th Henry County teen dies following car accident in McDonough, vigil planned

McDONOUGH — A fourth Eagle’s Landing High School student has died following a a single-vehicle accident that claimed the lives of three other teens May 11.

Kendarius Jackson, 16, died Friday, two days after Jordan Brown, 15, Kenderrias Dodson, 16, and Katrina Owens, 15, passed away as a result of the accident.

A fifth teen, Zakyra Jones, 15, remains at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta with serious injuries.

The five students were in a 2002 Nissan Altima traveling northbound on Oak Grove Road Wednesday afternoon when their car left the roadway and hit several trees, Henry County police said.

It’s unclear what caused the vehicle to drive off the road. Police said the investigation into the crash is ongoing.

Since the accident, the high school has been flooded with calls, messages, thoughts, prayers and numerous kind and caring gestures, according to ELHS Principal Dr. Kesha Jones.

“The pain from the loss of young lives is one of the toughest feelings to experience as an educator, but it is the incredible community spirit that sustains us all during times of grief and sorrow. While the dedicated staff of the school and district have been here to support individuals who have been impacted by these losses, our community has been an uplifting force to help ease the heaviness that can weigh us down during times like this,” Jones said in a social media post. “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you all for your support of Eagle’s Landing High School, our staff, our students, and these families. We will get through this tough time together.”

Henry County school district officials said they were saddened at the passing of the students, and asked the community to keep the students’ families in their thoughts.

“Our condolences go out to these students’ families during this extremely difficult time.”

A community vigil has been planned for Monday, May 16 starting at 7:30 p.m. at the ELHS football stadium in support of the school’s students, staff and families.

“Our community is gathering to pull on the strength of one another during this time,” school officials said.

The school is located at 301 Tunis Road in McDonough.

Staff Photo: Heather Middleton