Illegal immigrant arrested for killing beloved Georgia teacher in car crash as he fled ICE

Oscar Vasquez Lopez, of Guatemala, has been charged with vehicular homicide in connection with the crash that took the life of Dr. Linda Davis, a teacher at Herman W. Hesse K-8 School, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

"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,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “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.”

ICE agents attempted to apprehend Lopez, who had been given a final order to be deported from the US in 2024. Although Lopez “initially complied” with the agents, he then made a reckless U-turn and ran a red light, hitting into Davis' vehicle.

Davis sustained fatal injuries in the crash and died at the scene. Lopez came away with minor injuries and was charged by the Chatham County Police Department with vehicular homicide as well as a slew of other charges, including reckless driving, driving without a valid license, and failure to obey traffic control devices.

“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," the principal of Hesse K-8 School Alonna McMullen said in a statement on Facebook. "The students and staff will react in different ways to the death of one of our school community members. 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."