I was checking the news on kgw.com, the website for Portland, Oregon-based Northwest NewsChannel 8, and I read that Al Kenning, one of my fellow youth group members during my time at New Horizons Church in Washougal, WA, has died this morning after being hit by a drunk driver. According to the report I read, he ran out of gas on State Route 500 and was struck by a drunk driver while putting gas into his pickup. He landed in the road and was run over by an oncoming vehicle.

More from the KGW report:

A Vancouver man died after getting struck by a drunk driver and then run over by another vehicle Monday night, police said.

Alfred E. Kenning, 20, ran out of gas SR-500, just west of Falk Road around 9 p.m. Monday. He was putting gas into the pickup truck, along with the help of an unidentified 17-year-old, when an SUV traveling westbound struck them both, police said.

Michael T. Traylor, 33, of Vancouver was identified as the driver who struck the pair.

?¢‚Ǩ?ìThe juvenile ended up in the bed of the Chevrolet pickup. Kenning landed on the ground in the right lane where he was ran over by a 1991 Chevrolet S-10 pickup driven by Sandra L. Jaillet, a 53-year-old resident of La Center who was following the Jeep,?¢‚Ǩ¬ù said trooper Mike Kesler with Washington State Police.

Both drivers stayed at the scene and investigators said Traylor had been drinking; they found several open containers of beer cans in his Jeep, Kesler said.

?¢‚Ǩ?ìTraylor submitted to standard field sobriety tests and was determined to be under the influence of intoxicants. Traylor was placed under arrest for Vehicular Assault and transported to SWWMC where a sample of his blood was obtained to be analyzed by the Washington State Toxicology Lab for blood alcohol content,?¢‚Ǩ¬ù Kesler added.

Kenning was transported to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center with internal injuries where he later died, authorities said.

The male juvenile was taken by his parents to SW Washington Medical Center with minor injuries.

Brandy L. Achey, 18, of Vancouver, was sitting inside Kenning?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s pickup truck when the accident happened and witnessed everything, but was not injured, Kesler said. Traylor and Jaillet were not injured, either.

Traylor was booked in the Clark County Jail for Vehicular Assault.

It took nearly five hours for police to re-open the roadway. Traffic was detoured onto Falk Road during the investigation.

My brother and I knew Al for a few years during the time we attended the COGOP in Vancouver, WA, and hung out with him there and at Camps and Retreats. We weren’t great friends, more like mutual friends through church, but still it touches a bit too close to home. I don’t know if Jason knows about it yet, but Mom if you read this could you please pass along the news to him.

I’m sure the Kenning family is shocked and grieving right now. The Kennings are wonderful people who love the Lord, and they were gracious to everyone at New Horizons. They need every ounce of prayer support they can get, so let’s hold them up in prayer over the next few days.

Personally I’m shocked to hear that Al had died, and it makes it even harder to hear it because I am going back to New Horizons soon. I’m also angry, because someone that I knew has had their life snuffed out by a someone under the influence of alcohol. The man who hit Al and his friend needs to go to prison for vehicular homicide. I hate alcohol even more so because it now adds someone I knew to the long list of people who have been killed by its effects.

Please pray for the Kenning family, the New Horizons Church, and everyone affected by this tragedy. And pray that justice is served to the idiot who murdered — yes, murdered — Al Kenning.