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Milford Community Mourns Teen Killed In Crash

MILFORD (CBS) -- Family, friends, colleagues and classmates are mourning the death of a Milford teen killed in a crash late Sunday night. 

Jackie Gray, 19, and five other friends had just finished their shift at JJ's Ice Cream Shoppe in Upton. They were headed to catch a fireworks show when their car crashed into a telephone pole and a parked car. Gray was killed in the crash; the others are recovering from their injuries.

At a vigil Tuesday night, Jackie's mother Sandra addressed a crowd of hundreds.

"We know, I mean we've always known, that Jackie is a beautiful person both inside and out," Sandra Gray said.

Gray had just completed her freshman year at Quinnipiac University and made Dean's List.

"I need you to make me a promise that you will take the qualities that Jackie embodied," her mother said. "I cannot hug her so go out there and hug each other people and hug each other tightly and when you do that, think of Jackie."

Police said the SUV's brakes may have failed.

"There were concerns by the operator of the vehicle as well as some of the occupants that there was smoke in the vehicle as well as issues with the brakes and acceleration," said Milford Police Chief Thomas O'Laughlin.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our family members," JJ's Ice Cream Shoppe posted on Facebook. "We miss you Jax."

Express Dance & Acrobatics in Milford, where Gray was a staff member, teacher and alumnus, called her an "an incredible role model."

"She was always determined to succeed and handled every situation she encountered with a smile and determination for greatness," the studio posted on their Facebook page.

The dance studio has established an annual scholarship in her memory.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones reports

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