A public school teacher was killed when an illegal immigrant fleeing ICE agents in Georgia crashed into her vehicle on Monday, according to authorities.
Oscar Vasquez Lopez, of Guatemala, has been charged with vehicular homicide in connection with the crash that unfolded shortly before 7:45 a.m. in Savannah, according to the Chatham Police Department.
ICE agents tried to apprehend Lopez, who was issued a final order of removal by a federal judge in 2024, during a traffic stop after seeing him enter a vehicle, the Department of Homeland Security said.
Lopez “initially complied” with agents but then allegedly fled the scene, made a “reckless U-turn,” and ran a red light — colliding into the vehicle of Dr. Linda Davis, a teacher at Herman W. Hesse K-8 School, according to the DHS and local school officials.
Davis suffered fatal injuries during the crash, which happened just outside the school, and was pronounced dead on the scene, federal authorities added.
Lopez, 38, was taken to the hospital for minor injuries and was booked into the Chatham County Detention Center on a slew of charges, including reckless driving, driving without a valid license, failure to obey traffic control devices, and first-degree homicide by a vehicle, cops added.
The Chatham Police Department was unaware of the ICE operation or the pursuit of Lopez until after the crash, according to the department.
“Dr. Linda Davis was a beloved member of our school family, and her loss has affected us deeply. The students and staff will react in different ways to the death of one of our school community members,” Alonna McMullen, the principal of Hesse K-8 School, wrote in a statement on Facebook.
“We all should expect and try to understand that there will be a variety of emotions and responses to what has occurred. The most important thing we can do is to be supportive and encourage an open expression of feelings.”
The school system will offer counseling services to students and staff in the wake of the “tragic event,” McMullen added.
“This vehicular homicide is an absolute tragedy and deadly consequence of politicians and the media constantly demonizing ICE officers and encouraging those here illegally to resist arrest—a felony,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
“These dangerous tactics are putting people’s lives at risk. Fleeing from and resisting federal law enforcement is not only a crime but extraordinarily dangerous and puts oneself, our officers, and innocent civilians at risk. Now, an innocent bystander has lost their life.”
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