Savannah-area students and teachers continued to process their loss this week after Linda Davis, a special education teacher, was killed during her morning commute when her car was hit by a pickup driver who was fleeing a traffic stop involving U.S. immigration officers, according to local and federal authorities. The crash happened Monday less than a half mile from Herman W. Hesse K-8 School, where Davis taught young children with special needs.
At the school, principal Alonna McMullen described the impact on students, saying it was “extremely difficult to tell 5 and 6 year olds that the teacher they loved and cherished will not be returning to see them,” and that “To see the looks on their faces, it broke my heart.” Teachers were trying to create a normal routine Thursday, but their grief remained fresh.
Community members left reminders near the crash site, including a cross made from red roses and several bouquets of flowers in the median, and a paper sign that read, “Rest In Peace & Power, Dr. Davis.” Davis’ students in two special education classes drew pictures of her to help cope with the news of her death, and faculty prepared banners for display at the school’s home basketball game Thursday.
Davis began teaching at Hesse in September, after the school year had started, and local officials said her upbeat approach and dedication helped her earn the trust of colleagues and students. McMullen told reporters that “Even the most difficult students, she knew how to make them shine.”
Outside of work, Davis was raising four children and was guardian to a fifth, according to her sister, Felicia Jackson. Jackson wrote in a social media post that the sudden loss of her sister’s presence and love “has created a vacuum of compounded grief so vast it feels as though it fills the Mariana Trench,” describing Davis as “fully alive, engaged, and loving” and recalling how she sang Disney songs and show tunes with her children.
Separate from the mourning inside the school, local officials questioned whether the immigration pursuit that ended in Davis’ death was necessary. Savannah Mayor Van Johnson and Chester Ellis, chairman of the Chatham County Board of Commissioners, raised concerns about the chase.
A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, Lindsay Williams, said the fleeing driver had no criminal history but was in the U.S. illegally. Authorities identified the driver as Oscar Vasquez Lopez, 38, and said he suffered minor injuries and has been jailed on charges including vehicular homicide and driving without a valid license.
Security camera video from outside the school showed a red pickup truck speeding past the school, followed several seconds later by two law enforcement vehicles with flashing lights, according to authorities. ICE said in a news release that Lopez crashed into Davis’ car after making a U-turn and running a stop light.
In the criminal case, a spokesperson for the Georgia Public Defender Council, Don Plummer, said Lopez is “presumed innocent, and the court process will determine the outcome,” adding that an attorney represents him.