Four Teens Killed in Crash Following Police Pursuit in Tyler

TYLER, Texas — Four teenagers were killed early Sunday after a police pursuit connected to a shooting in Tyler ended in a crash, according to the Tyler Police Department.

Police identified those killed as 17-year-old Jaffet Cuarenta of Tyler, 17-year-old Adrielle Vazquez of Tyler, 17-year-old Emigdio Gutierrez of Tyler, and 15-year-old Jaiden Rodriguez of Smith County.

The incident began during the early morning hours Sunday when Tyler police responded to reports of gunshots in the 1500 block of Lake Placid Road. Officers were also given a description of a vehicle believed to be connected to the shooting.

Around 4 a.m., a local hospital notified police that two people were being treated for gunshot wounds. Both shooting victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Police identified them as a 17-year-old male from Tyler and an 18-year-old female from Smith County. Their names have not been released.

Officers later located the suspect vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The vehicle fled, leading officers on a pursuit through Tyler and onto Highway 31 East at a high rate of speed.

After the pursuit left Tyler city limits, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers joined the chase. According to DPS, one trooper performed a precision immobilization technique, or PIT maneuver, to stop the fleeing vehicle.

The pursuit ended in a crash near County Road 211, according to Smith County Emergency Services District 2. All four teenagers inside the vehicle were killed.

The investigation into the shooting, pursuit and fatal crash remains ongoing. Authorities have not released additional details about the circumstances surrounding the crash.