2 teenagers killed in St. Petersburg crash, police say

Two teenagers were killed and a third was injured in a late-night crash in St. Petersburg, police said.

Nikia Killens, 17, was heading east on 11th Avenue S in a black 2013 Buick Rendezvous when she drove off the roadway and crashed the SUV into a power pole in the 4200 block early Saturday, according to police.

Her passengers were 14-year-old Shaariyah Brown and 18-year-old Brice Lewis.

Killens was transported to John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital with minor injuries. Brown was transported to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg where she was later pronounced dead. Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene.

St. Petersburg police responded to the crash in the Childs Park neighborhood at 12:45 a.m., the department said in a news release.

Friends and family shared their pain and disbelief on Facebook, alongside photographs of trips, sports games and school celebrations.

Lewis was entering his senior of high school and had been visiting college campuses, according to posts on the site. Brown, who wore her hair in long burgundy locks, was a cheerleader with the youth football organization St. Pete Lil’ Devils.

For much of Saturday morning, 11th Avenue S was closed at 42nd Street for the ongoing police investigation.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the date of the crash and the gender of Nikia Killens.