‘A true gentleman.’ 18-year-old former Coast football player dies in crash, MHP says
A high school graduate and former football player from Lucedale died in a single-car crash Monday in Stone County, according to a release from the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
Tajiri Lazell Washington, 18, was driving a Nissan Maxima on Mississippi 26 when the wreck happened when the wreck happened around 5:20 a.m. just west of Mississippi 15, Trooper Cal Robertson said in the release.
Washington was a defensive player for George County High School.
In a video statement on the George County High School Facebook page, Principal Sid Taylor addressed the loss of the former student and standout football player.
“Tajiri was the student that every teacher wanted to have and he was a true gentleman and he was a very outstanding young man” Taylor said. “His smile was very contagious and it would light up the classroom. It would light up the hallways in the school.”
To students in mourning, Taylor offered prayers.
“Tajiri, we love you,” he added. “We are going to miss you and we know that you are a shining and guiding light for many of those who are left behind to cherish your memory. Rest in peach, my friend. God bless you. We love you.”
The crash is under investigation.
This story was originally published July 7, 2020 at 11:09 AM.
