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Tragedy struck in Savannah, Georgia, when a public school teacher lost her life in an accident caused by an illegal immigrant attempting to escape from ICE agents. The incident occurred on Monday morning, authorities report.
Oscar Vasquez Lopez, a Guatemalan national, faces charges of vehicular homicide following the fatal collision. The Chatham Police Department detailed that the crash happened shortly before 7:45 a.m. as Lopez was trying to evade capture.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE agents had initiated a traffic stop after observing Lopez entering a vehicle. Lopez, who had received a final deportation order from a federal judge in 2024, initially appeared to comply with the agents’ instructions.
However, the situation took a tragic turn when Lopez allegedly chose to flee. In his attempt to escape, he performed a reckless U-turn and sped through a red light, resulting in a crash with the vehicle driven by Dr. Linda Davis. Davis was a respected teacher at Herman W. Hesse K-8 School.
The collision occurred just outside the school premises, and Davis sustained fatal injuries. Sadly, she was pronounced dead at the scene, as confirmed by federal authorities and local school representatives.
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.”