KAHUKU — On a somber day at Kahuku High & Intermediate, many students wore black, some made memorial posters and some wore buttons that said "Rest In Peace."

They were paying their respects yesterday to four young people — three of whom had attended the school — killed in separate crashes on Saturday in the same spot near the Kokololio Bridge in Hau'ula.

"Today it just seemed really mellow and quiet," said Bronson Rivera, a Kahuku senior. "You could feel like a sadness there. Like even if you really didn't know them, it impacted you."

Killed in the first crash were Pepe Naupoto, 15, and Alithia Ah Nee, 16. Three others were in the vehicle when it ran off Kamehameha Highway and hit a utility pole at 4:20 a.m. Saturday. Of those who survived, one was uninjured, another was treated and released from Kahuku Hospital and a third suffered a broken leg, relatives said.

The driver, Naupoto, was speeding, police said, but they have not determined if he was drinking prior to the crash. He was driving a car that police said had been reported stolen.

About 19 hours later, Benson Kauvaka, 16, and Summer-Lynn Mau, 19, were killed when a car struck them as they were visiting a roadside memorial for the victims of the first wreck. They were among a group of people sitting in a circle around a utility pole when they were hit. At least three others were injured. The driver of the car, a 21-year-old woman, was hospitalized.

Police are awaiting results of tests from blood drawn from Naupoto and the female driver in the second crash to see if alcohol or drugs were involved.

Ah Nee was a former Kahuku high student who had moved to Utah. Mau was a Kahuku graduate, and Kauvaka was a student. Naupoto was visiting from Texas.

Kayla Sussel, a 10th-grader, said the day was dominated by talk about the tragic coincidence of two crashes on the same day and at the same spot, with the second one involving people mourning victims of the first crash.

The accidents also have affected her family, she said.

"My dad wants me to always call, tell him where I am and what I'm doing, tell him that we love him," Sussel said.

Thomas Shea, a Kahuku senior, said the deaths devastated the school. Shea, who said he was a good friend of Naupoto and Kauvaka, said people were trying to make sense of it.

"Some people are saying that they ... were speeding too fast," Shea said.

Everyone on campus was stunned by the tragic events, said school principal Lisa DeLong, in a written statement.

"We remain concerned about the individuals who were injured in the two crashes and pray that they make full recoveries," DeLong said. "We extend our deepest sympathies and warmest embraces to the families and friends of those involved."

The school had organized a team of counselors and other personnel to support students on campus who are grieving, she said, adding that no public activities were planned.

"We are asking for privacy while students console and comfort each other," DeLong said.

Cousins Tiana and Kerrianne Scott, both seniors, proudly showed a poster they made using a photograph of Kauvaka, who they said was everybody's favorite person.

His death angered them and other students, they said, because Kauvaka was such a good friend. The way he died was especially hurtful because he was paying his respects, they said.

The driver in the second crash "really, really hurt the whole community, the families, the friends and everybody else," Kerrianne Scott said.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.