Placer High Mourns After 2 Freshman Killed By DUI Suspect

AUBURN, Calif. (CBS13/AP) - Authorities have arrested a pickup truck driver on suspicion of hitting and killing two teenage boys on an Auburn-area road.

California Highway Patrol Officer David Martinez said the 15-year-old victims were among three boys walking along State Route 49 in Auburn when the truck drifted onto the road's shoulder and struck them Sunday afternoon.

One of the teens died at the scene and the other died at the hospital. The third boy was not injured.

Monday morning, the Placer County Sheriff's Office identified the boys as 15-year-old Auburn resident Jared Gaches and 15-year-old Foresthill resident Trevor Keller.

Officers arrested 62-year-old Phillip Ingram on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Lacey Vargas was at a friend's house on Dry Creek Road in Auburn when she said she heard a loud bang outside.

"He was going by really fast and I knew he hit something," Vargas said. "And as I heard that bang, my alarm went off on my car."

Martinez said Ingram had been involved in an earlier traffic crash, but the officer had no further details on the incident.

Both Gaches and Keller were freshman at Placer High School. The mood on campus Monday morning was somber.

"I'm still trying figure out that it's real," said junior Steven Malinowski. "[It] doesn't feel like it really happened."

Students placed message boards for both Jared and Trevor on campus for anyone wanting to say a final goodbye.

"Those boys did the right thing and they stayed on the right shoulder of the freeway, but just to know that someone was under the influence and that was causing a lot of harm was very sad," said sophomore Rayvin White.

The school is now trying to help the students cope.

"We've got all of our counselors on deck, we go some other counselors from the school district here, we have our physiologist from the district office here," said Placer High Principal Peter Efftathiu. "We have four or five chaplains on campus among other adults here to help out, 'cause we know it's not going to just be the students - it will be some of our teachers, too."

CHP says Ingram is being held at Placer County Jail. He faces two felony counts of vehicular manslaughter.

A candlelight vigil is scheduled to take place around 8:30 p.m. Monday at Placer's Centennial Courtyard.