DALLAS — No one can really prepare you for goodbye.
“This is my first time losing a friend," said Jose Vargas Jimenez, a Mesquite resident, as he greeted farewell to his friend, 12-year-old Kevin Briones.
“I didn’t see him for a long time. I just wanted to make up for the last time since I couldn’t see him," said Vargas Jimenez.
Briones was killed, and three others were injured in a crash on Thursday morning, police said.
The crash happened at about 8:40 a.m. near Caspian Drive and Lasater Road, in an area of Mesquite near Interstate 20 heading toward Seagoville.
Witnesses in the area told WFAA they saw the SUV speeding before the crash. Dallas Police Department sources confirmed to WFAA that the male driver was speeding.
Off-camera, Kevin's mother, Michelle Briones, said her son was the oldest of four siblings and had two younger brothers. He loved soccer.
According to Michelle, her other son was also in the car when Kevin died. They weren't supposed to be out rising, Michelle said. They were supposed to be asleep.
Kevin would've turned 13 next month.
One of the injured child's brothers told WFAA that the driver and passenger were arguing when someone yanked the steering wheel, causing the SUV to go off the road. DPD sources confirmed the children in the hospital said there was an argument before the crash.
“They were speeding, and then they started arguing. Then, he started messing with the steering wheel and just went off-road and crashed into a tree," said Jimenez.
Dallas police confirmed the vehicle left the roadway and crashed into a tree. Police said one of the passengers, a 12-year-old male, died at the scene. The juvenile driver, a 12-year-old male, and two other passengers, 11-year-old and 12-year-old males, were taken to a local hospital in stable condition, officials say.
“The bumper was in the middle of the street, and the car was mangled," said Sharon Webb, a nearby resident who was driving pass the crash. “It was very sad. It’s very, very sad.”
Video footage from the scene of the crash showed the front of the vehicle was badly damaged and smashed, along with the front windshield.
Kevin and his brothers all attended the New Era Boxing gym at one point, his coaches Jose Enrique Ramirez and Albert Mayo told WFAA.
"It's truly painful," Ramirez said in Spanish. "We got to know him. We knew how he laughed, played, and we knew who he was. That's why it's so painful to lose a child this way."
Coach Mayo said Kevin was a big part of their gym, which sits less than a mile from the crash site.
"It's just been a sad day," Mayo said. "Just to know that this little kid didn’t get to live life to the fullest."
All Friday, friends visited the crash site to pay their respects.
“We’re still in shock. The memories that my brothers have with them are not going to leave," said Alexa Carrillo, a friend. Her brothers were close friends of all four boys.
“They used to go to our house and play," said Sulema Carrillo, the friends' mother.
A GoFundMe was created for Kevin, which makes it all too real for loved ones.
“It’s just sad that my brothers and their families have to go through something. Not everybody can process it right," said Alexa Carrillo.
While reality settles, so does goodbye.
“I couldn’t say bye. I just wanted a piece with him and talk with him for a bit," said Jimenez.
To support the GoFundMe, click here.