Suspect, Victims Identified After Crash That Left 2 Dead, 6 Injured
DENVER (CBS4) - Denver police say a 55-year-old man now faces charges of vehicular homicide after a deadly crash at Colorado Boulevard and Mexico Avenue.
Police have identified the suspect as Semere Dawit.
Investigators say firefighters tried to help a man they've identified as Dawit sleeping inside an SUV in the road on near Colorado Boulevard and Evans. Witnesses say the driver sped off when firefighters approached.
The incident ended at the intersection with a four-vehicle crash. Anthony Mills, 42, was pronounced dead on scene. Jonathan Nichols, 29, was transported to the hospital where he died.
"This is a criminal investigation and there may be additional charges pending," Lt. Robert Rock with Aurora Police said.
Witnesses say the SUV was traveling at approximately 70 to 80 miles per hour and made no effort to stop when the crash occurred.
"There was such severe damage that the folks in that car could not survive," Rock said. "We had some of what we call override and underride where you've got a high-profile vehicle that hits a low-profile vehicle."
Six more people suffered serious injuries, including the suspect.
Dawit is hospitalized but will be arrested on charges of driving under the influence along with the vehicular homicde charges, but the list of charges could grow later.
"We are also looking into any possible medical issues," Rock said.
Dawit has multiple speeding violations on his driving record but his driver's license was valid at the time of the crash.
Only one other person remains in the hospital.
Additional Resources
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Jonathan Nichols, a Detroit native, avid musician and class of 2010 graduate of Howard University. He leaves behind a fiance and 13-month-old daughter.
