A 21-year-old man from Grande Prairie, Alta. faces impaired driving charges after leaving the scene of a highway collision that killed four teens on Saturday.
Police allege Brendan Holubowich was behind the wheel of a pickup truck that slammed into a car carrying five teens on Highway 668 near Highway 40.
Local RCMP said 16-year-olds Matthew Deller and Vincent Stover as well as 15-year-olds Walter Borden-Wilkens and Tanner Hildebrand died in the crash which happened just after midnight on Saturday.
Fifteen-year old Zak Judd, who was critically injured in the collision, remains in stable condition at an Edmonton-area hospital, Mounties said.
Holubowich faces 11 charges in relation to the fatal crash including four counts of impaired driving causing death.
While Holubowich awaits his first court appearance on Oct. 31, Grande Prairie residents are mourning the four lost teens.
"Friends and the people in the community have only good things to say about these young boys," said CTV Edmonton's Amanda Anderson.
All five of the teens were students at Grande Prairie Composite High School, where they were members of the Warriors football team.
"They were good students, great football players," said Anderson. "It's been really difficult on the community here."
With the tragedy still fresh, hundreds of community members held a candlelight vigil at a local football field to remember the young men.
"There were hundreds of people wearing black and orange -- the school colours -- there to support one another," said Anderson.
The vigil was held just after midnight on Sunday to coincide with the time of the crash, she added.
Grande Prairie Composite High School plans to have grief counsellors available to students at the school on Monday and throughout the week.
It is still unclear where the five boys were going or where they were coming from when the incident occurred.
Police said the 21-year-old driver of the pickup truck fled the scene of the crash but was arrested a short time later.
At Sunday's vigil, the principal of Grande Prairie Composite reportedly told the crowd to pray for the young man and avoid convicting him in the court of public opinion.
"They're asking the community and the students to refrain from speculation, to refrain from blame but to work rather as supporting one another," said Anderson.
The crash comes less than a week after four teens were killed in an automobile accident in the province's south.
Renzo Dainard, 16, Clay Card, 16, Danae Gough, 14 and Jorden Miller, 14, died when the vehicle they were riding in left the road and flipped into a creek early on Sunday, Oct. 16. The crash occurred near Magrath, about 240 kilometres southwest of Calgary.
Gord Card, father of Clay, said that he understands the pain that the families must be dealing with in Grande Prairie. Card said that he has met with some of the parents involved in the Magrath tragedy, and he expressed a desire to show support for those involved in this week's crash.
"We stand with them," he said in an email to Â鶹´«Ã½, adding: "Our hearts and prayers go to all of them."
With files from The Canadian Press and CTV Edmonton's Simon Ostler
