Lake Braddock students, family and community members mourned the loss of Laween Akrawi with a vigil held Sunday night, Dec. 20 in the school parking lot. Photo courtesy of Lake Braddock Secondary School
Friends, family and members of the Lake Braddock Secondary School Community gathered Sunday night Dec. 21 to mourn the loss of Laween A. Akrawi, 18, a Lake Braddock Bruin who died at the scene of a single-vehicle crash on Dec. 18. They laid candles and flowers by an easel holding his senior picture.
Fairfax County Police said officers responded to the crash site in the area of the Franconia Springfield Parkway and Interstate 95 around 11 p.m. Friday night.
Investigators initially determined Akrawi, a Fairfax Station resident, was heading westbound on the Parkway in a BMW 3-Series when he lost control of the car, left the road and hit several trees.
Akrawi’s 17-year-old passenger sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Fairfax Hospital. Police believe speed was a factor in the crash.
In a letter to the Lake Braddock community, Principal Dave Thomas wrote, “Our thoughts and support go out to the student’s family and friends at this very difficult time.”
The Lake Braddock Twitter account @FCPSLBSS announced that a Janazah prayer for Akrawi would be held at Dar Al-Hijra Islamic Center in Falls Church on Sunday at midday, followed by a burial at National Cemetery and funeral at a home in Fairfax Station.
The hashtag #RIPLaween has been used to flag social media posts about Akrawi.