AUSTIN, Texas — An Austin family is mourning the loss of a 16-year-old Vandegrift High School student who died after a crash on Nov. 18.
Lateef Shobande, the father of Shuaib Boluwatife Shobande, is grieving the loss of his 16-year-old son.
"He was a good boy. Everyone knows him as a gentle boy," said Lateef Shobande.
Lateef said his son was involved in a car crash on Saturday, Nov. 18. DPS said a car and a pickup truck collided along Decker Lane. The investigation is ongoing.
Lateef said his son was on their way to drop his sister off at a basketball training. After the crash, Shuaib Shobande was transported to a hospital where he later died. The teen's sister broke her jaw in the crash.
"We are going through a lot right now," said Lateef.
He said he wants people to remember his son as hardworking. He wanted to go into the military and become a mechanical engineer. He attended Vandegrift High School, part of Leander ISD, where he ran track.
"He was one of the fastest at the school, and he liked to help others," his father said.
Lateef said this has been very difficult for his family of seven, especially with the holidays coming. Now they will plan for a funeral.
"We have a lot planned to celebrate Thanksgiving, but we cannot do anything right now because we are in pain," he said.
Shuaib Boluwatife Shobande would have turned 17 on Dec. 8.
The family has started a GoFundMe to help pay for the funeral.