A special-education teacher in Georgia was killed Monday morning in a crash outside the school where she worked after a man fleeing immigration agents collided with her vehicle, authorities said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were attempting to pull over Oscar Vasquez Lopez when the crash occurred, according to the Chatham County Police Department.
Officers responded around 7:45 a.m. Feb. 16 to the wreck outside Herman W. Hesse K-8 School. The victim, identified by school officials as Linda Davis, was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said.
Lopez was also hospitalized and treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, according to police.
There were no student classes that day due to the Presidents’ Day holiday, though the school’s website indicated staff had a planning day.
Lopez, a native of Guatemala, was issued a final order of removal by a federal judge in 2024, the Department of Homeland Security said. The agency said he entered the United States illegally at an unknown date and location.
ICE officers were trying to apprehend Lopez on Monday and he initially complied, DHS said, before fleeing the scene. The agency said he made a reckless U-turn, ran a red light and struck a civilian vehicle.
The Chatham County Police Department said it was not involved in the ICE operation, traffic stop, or pursuit and was not aware of the operation beforehand.
Police arrested Lopez on charges of first-degree homicide by vehicle, reckless driving, driving without a valid license and failure to obey a traffic control device, according to the department.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Hesse K-8 Principal Alonna McMullen described Davis as “a beloved member of our school family,” adding that her loss has deeply affected the school community.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin criticized politicians and media figures who she said demonize ICE officers and encourage people to resist arrest.
“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,” McLaughlin said. “Now, an innocent bystander has lost their life.”
State Rep. Anne Allen Westbrook, a Democrat who represents Chatham County in the Georgia House of Representatives, said the crash happened in an area many families, including her own, travel through daily.
“There will undoubtedly be blame enough to go around,” Westbrook said in a statement. “But it is reasonable for citizens to conclude that the scale and magnitude of ICE’s dragnet is costing us too much.”
