The tennis star of the Loyola High School, who was killed by the alleged Dui driver, remembered as “bigger than life”

Manhattan Beach, California. – – The Loyola High School Community had a vigil for Braun Levi on Saturday, the 18-year-old star tennis player, who was killed by a supposedly drunk driver in Manhattan Beach last week.

The background story:

Levi was hit by a car on May 5 when he was walking in Manhattan Beach. The officials reacted to the crash in South Sepulveda near the First Street, shortly before I took Levi to the hospital, where he later died.

Officials arrested the 33 -year -old Jenia Belt from Los Angeles on suspicion of Dui and Murder, the police said. The belt is kept without a deposit. After the La Times, Belt drove with a suspended driver's license due to a previous DUI conviction.

Previous reporting: The tennis star of the Loyola High School beat and killed by alleged drunk drivers

Levi was described as a leader on campus, as Star in the Tenniste team and worked in the student council and as a high -ranking Big Brother.

He wanted to visit the University of Virginia in autumn.

“It breaks my heart that Uva cannot experience his light,” said his sister Adele. “I can't count how often he called me and said, 'I'm so excited for college. How is it?'”

Levi died a few weeks before he graduated from Loyola. His death comes only a few months after the family has lost their home in the Palisades fire. After her home was destroyed, the family moved to Manhattan Beach.

What we know:

Mourners gathered at the Loyola High School on Saturday to celebrate Levi's life.

Family, school staff, coaches and more remembered Levi as someone who was “bigger than life” who was “happy every day”.

“It is exactly this magnetic presence that we mourn today,” said Father Billy Biegler, who used to work at school. “Not only the death of a son or a brother or a grandchild, a nephew, a classmate or a friend, but the death of a person who taught us how incredible life could be – how joyful and how radiant could be a person. Today we mourn the presence of someone who has demonstrated what God looks like. The warmth and joy and real rise of a friend of a friend.”

“It's the worst nightmare of all,” said Levi's father Dan. “We lost our only son. We lost our best friend. This week was the worst of our lives and we looked through it. Because they all. Thank you to everyone that they are here and supported our family.”

His mother called his death “a senseless act of cowardice, stupidity and evil. I will never understand why he was torn by us. I love brown and I miss him in a way that causes pain that I did not think is possible.”

Before the celebration of life on Saturday, the members of the community in Manhattan Beach gathered into a “paddle out”. Dozens of people on surf boards paddled into the ocean in honor of Levi.

Manhattan beach crime and public security