A suspected drunk driver killed a 19-year-old nursing student in San Bernardino County, leaving her family and friends in shock.
Larenz Fondren was following his heart. He was about two months away from finishing and getting his license as a vocational nurse.
According to Larenz’s family, his lifelong battle with sickle cell disease made him want to work in healthcare.
On May 2, just before 7 a.m., he crossed the street in Colton near Washington Street and Center Drive on his way to a duty shift.
Surveillance video caught the moment Larenz, who was dressed in scrubs, crossed the road and was hit by a speeding driver.
Larenz’s dad, Wayne Fondren, said, “My son flew 20 feet in the air.” “It was him when I went outside.” I could only cry and do nothing else. Picture that as your kid or someone else’s. The pain I’m going through. He killed my son.
Authorities say that after the first crash, Larenz was hit by many other cars.
Antonio Medrano, 30, of Colton, was caught right away for driving without a license and killing someone with a car while drunk.
The bail amount was $100,000. After two days of paying the bond, Medrano was set free. When the victim’s family found out that the suspect was back on the streets, they were shocked and angry.
“How do you kill someone on Friday and leave on Sunday morning?” Wayne told them. “You have a DUI and your license has been taken away several times, and now you’ve killed my son.”
A member of the Colton Police Department said that the crash is still being looked into and that toxicology reports are due soon.
However, family members said that they still haven’t heard anything nearly a month later.
“They did say that [the suspect] admitted to smoking marijuana,” the victim’s sister, Felisha Fondren, said.
It was said that video on social media showed the suspect’s car, a blue and white Dodge Challenger with custom paint, speeding in the bike lane right before it hit Larenz.
Court records show that Medrano has a history of dangerous driving, such as speeding tickets in the past.
It was important to the 19-year-old’s family that the suspect be caught and sent to jail before he hurts or kills someone else.
The only thing Wayne said was, “We want justice for Larenz Fondren.”
His mother, Felisha Fondren, said, “There was nothing bad about him.” “That’s not just because he’s our son,” she said. You would know that if you talked to anyone about him.
Lorenz Fondren will turn 20 on June 7. To celebrate, the Fondren family will have a public party at Cal Skate in Grand Terrace.
The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office said they are aware of the situation and are waiting for the last reports to be looked over before deciding whether to press charges.
If you know anything about the case, you can call Detective Isabel Jaramillo at 909-370-5142 or email her at [email protected].
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“This article was written by Mathew Owen. AI tools were used lightly for grammar and formatting, but the ideas, words, and edits are all mine.”
