LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. — Police released the names of two men killed in a car crash on Black Friday in Lancaster. Officers say 22-year-old Luis Gomez-Roman and 23-year-old Luis Hernandez-Gomez were killed when their car was hit by a drunk driver who ran a red light.
It happened Friday night at the intersection of Woodland Drive and West Meeting Street in Lancaster. Police charged Quinton Harris, 34, with two counts of DUI resulting in death. He’s also charged with child endangerment because police say he had two children in the back of his car.
The Lancaster Police Department said Harris ignored a traffic light at the intersection of North Woodland Drive and West Meeting Street around 9 p.m. on Nov. 26. The GMC Acadia he was driving then slammed into a Honda with Gomez-Roman and Hernandez Gomez inside. Both young men died at the scene. A fundraiser has been started to help the families cover funeral expenses for their loved ones.
Gomez-Roman and Hernandez-Gomez were lovingly called Poncho and Kiko. The two men were cousins and best friends who grew up together.
“Kiko’s mom says she feels like a part of her heart was taken from her,” Giselle Gomez-Roman, who is Poncho’s sister, said. She translated for her parents and Kiko’s parents, “I think that’s what we’re all feeling.”
The families of Kiko and Poncho say the two men had so much to live for. Poncho and his girlfriend were expecting a baby in January, and he was already a father to a 3-year-old. Kiko was his fun-loving and loyal cousin.
“We just want to make it very clear [for] both families that the one thing we do ask for is justice,” Giselle said. “We’re not mad with the driver, but we do want him to pay for what he did.”
Harris is in custody in Lancaster County. A magistrate judge denied his bond. The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information can call the police at 803-283-1171, the Special Operations Unit at 803-283-1174, or the Anonymous Tip Line at 803-289-6040.
Contact Indira Eskieva at ieskieva@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram