SAN DIEGO -- The nephew of a Chicano Park crash victim killed Saturday when a pickup truck plunged from the Coronado Bay Bridge onto a crowd of parkgoers held a press conference Thursday afternoon.
"The love and support that everybody from this community has shown to my family is nothing short of remarkable," he said. "We came here with a great sense of loss, a great sense of tragedy and since then a lot of healing has occurred. We're still mourning every minute, every second of every day at the loss of all four lives. But the people have made us feel at home here."
Richard Anthony Sepolio, a 24-year-old member of the United States Navy, is facing DUI and vehicular manslaughter charges after he allegedly drove his truck at greater than 80 mph in a 40 mph zone while under the influence of alcohol.
The crash happened around 3:34 p.m. when a driver in a GMC pickup truck was traveling northbound on I-5, transitioning westbound onto the Coronado Bridge. According to the California Highway Patrol, the driver lost control and the truck fell about 60 feet below onto a vendor's booth.
The victims were identified as Cruz Elias Contreras, 52, Andre Christopher Banks, 49, Annamarie Contreras, 50, and Francine Denise Jimenez, 46.
Cruz Elias Contreras and Annamarie Contreras came from Chandler Arizona to attend the motorcycle rally while Andre Banks and Francine Jimenez traveled from the LA area.
