A Chapel Hill High School football player was killed early Sunday morning during a hit-and-run, according to state troopers.

Authorities say Rodney Torain, 17, died around 4 a.m. Sunday after a car hit the vehicle he was riding in.  The accident happened at Old Greensboro Road and Neville Road, just west of Chapel Hill.

The driver, Ashley Bynum, 18, and a second passenger, Laticia Farrington, 17, told officers they were being followed aggressively and that they were frightened. 

The driver of the second vehicle tried to pass Bynum in a no passing zone and side swiped Bynum’s car, causing them to run off the road and hit a tree.

Bynum and Farrington were taken to an area hospital where they were treated for minor injuries.  Trooper T.S. Wrightsaid that Torain was riding in the back seat and not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident.

Torain was a standout tackle in football for Chapel Hill High School.

He was selected this year to attend the Shrine Bowl, an all-star game for high school players.

Torain was the second Chapel Hill football player to die this year.

Atlas Fraley, 17, died in August from an unknown medical cause after a football scrimmage.

Friends and teammates gathered Sunday at the home of Fraley's parents, David and Melinda.

The Fraleys said their son and Torain had been best friends since they were young.

After Atlas's death, the Fraleys said Torain would visit to their house every Sunday to eat dinner and watch football.

"He was helping fill some of that void and now he's gone," David Fraley said. "You never get over a death. You sort of get better as time goes by. It's just like we went back in time."

Teammate Rufus Lassiter remembered Torain as an outgoing person with a great sense of humor.

"He was always the comedian of the group," he said. "He was just an all-around good friend."

Torain's mother, Deanne Jackson, said on Sunday that it was too soon to talk about her son's death.

Authorities are still looking for a small gold or silver car with right side damage that they believe is responsible for the hit-and-run.  Anyone with information is asked to call 336-570-6890.

On Monday, Nov.17, Chapel Hill High School released the following statement regarding the loss of Rodney Torain.

Chapel Hill High School is mourning the loss of Senior Rodney Torain following a weekend traffic accident. Two other Chapel Hill High School Seniors, Ashley Bynum and Latesha Farrington, were injured in the accident and have been released from the hospital.
 
The school day opened wit an announcement about Torain’s death and a moment of silence in his memory.

Extensive counseling support is available to students and staff today as a result of the deployment of the district’s Crisis Team. First period teachers read a statement about how to access this support.

Counselors are following Torain’s schedule to support his classmates and teachers. A full-time substitute teacher on staff is being used to provide staff members with breaks if necessary. Counselors have set up three locations across campus to meet with students as needed. Extra administrative staff has been sent to the school for the day. Counselors and administrators continue to monitor the campus for students needing support. Additional support has been targeted to students with close relationships to the students involved, including those who participate in the AVID program and members of the school’s football and basketball teams.

A letter will be sent home to parents at the end of the school today to make them aware of the death and the available services. A copy of the letter is not available at this time, as it is currently being drafted.

Torain likely would have played in tomorrow night’s basketball game at Cardinal Gibbons High School as he transitioned from football to basketball season. That game has been canceled.