Tuesday
Posted Jun 21, 2016 at 3:52 PM
Updated Jun 21, 2016 at 7:55 PM
By Elise Franco

SHELBY - Zachary Saunders is remembered by friends, family and community members as a great student who loved watching basketball and spending time with his family.

Saunders' aunt, Jennifer Johnson McKinney said that Zachary, who would have been going into seventh grade at Crest Middle School, had recently joined the Beta Club and was looking forward to the new school year. She said her nephew loved sports and being active.

"He had a love for basketball, and his favorite team was the Cleveland Cavaliers," she said. "He enjoyed working outdoors with his father."

Zachary, who died in a truck crash Friday afternoon on I-85 South in Gaston County, is survived by his parents, Brandon and Angela Saunders, and two brothers, Jacob Saunders, 14, and Caleb Saunders, 6. McKinney said the family is planning a memorial at the crash site. Brandon Saunders was driving the box truck that collided with an 18-wheeler and was also injured in the accident.

Dr. Amy Jones, former Crest Middle School principal, said she knew both Zachary and his older brother, Jacob, during their time at CMS. She offered her condolences to the Saunders family.

"Zachary was a great student, very respectful of his teachers and peers," she said. "Our hearts go out to his family, especially his older brother, Jacob, who is a rising eighth-grader."

Around 100 people gathered at Crest Middle School for a memorial on Tuesday. Thoughts and memories of Saunders were shared as his two brothers, mother, father and extended family listened.

Keshya Tuft-Huff commented on a GoFundMe page set up in his name, sharing a memory she had of seeing Zachary around CMS.

"I am very saddened to hear about the passing of Zachary. He often would come through my lunch line at school when I was on the cash register," she said. "I will never forget his big, brown, beautiful eyes and his long eyelashes. He was very quiet but was also sweet. May God be with his family and friends during their time of bereavement. He will be truly missed."

McKinney set up the GoFundMe account late Friday, and the donations have rolled in at a steady pace. In just over three days, nearly $5,000 has been raised to help Zachary Saunders' family with funeral costs and other expenses.

Gary Alphonso Thomas was driving the Werner Enterprises truck when it was hit from behind by the box truck Friday afternoon. Thomas was charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle and is jailed on $15,000 bond. Thomas unintentionally caused the boy's death by making an unsafe movement and impeding traffic, according to the citation issued by the Highway Patrol.

Thomas remained jailed Tuesday, held on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer. His attorneys said in court the man lives and works in the country legally, although an ICE detainer typically gives federal agents time to determine whether to take a suspect into custody for deportation following the resolution of the criminal case.

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