TORONTO -- A 19-year-old international student struck and killed by an allegedly impaired driver in Scarborough was laid to rest at a funeral on New Year's Eve.
Three pedestrians were hit by a vehicle in the area of Markham Road and Progress Avenue just before 6:30 p.m. on December 22.
Investigators said the driver of the 2014 Mazda involved in the incident allegedly entered the intersection at a "high rate of speed" when it mounted the curb, struck a guardrail and then struck the pedestrians on the sidewalk.
Police said that Wei Jie Zhu-Li and Damir Kussain, both 19 years of age, were pronounced deceased in hospital.
Wei Jie's older brother, Jun Ju Zhu-Li, suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries. All three victims were international students at Centennial College.
Dozens of people attended a funeral service at Chapel Ridge Funeral Home Tuesday in Markham to remember Wei Jie, a student in the food and beverage management program at Centennial College.
"Wei Jie was a model student, and a genuinely awesome human being," the college’s president Craig Stephenson said. "He was the student every professor wants to see in his class."
Stephenson said that a scholarship will be established in memory of Wei Jie.
Wei Jie’s older brother, Jun Ju could be seen at the funeral using crutches, and had cuts and bruises on his face. He was accompanied by his parents and several other family members.
The family provided a statement in Chinese to CTV News Toronto, which described him as a loving and respectful son, and a sincere friend whose smile will always be remembered.
Friends and family said they hope the tragedy will highlight the dangers of impaired driving.
"[It's] really irresponsible,” said Katherine Ma, the president of the college’s Chinese Students and Scholars Association.
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"As a human being, as a global citizen, [drivers] have to take care of not only themselves, but also other people."
The funeral service for 19-year-old Damir Kussain is planned for January 4, 2020.
