Overview
- Dr. Linda Davis, a special education teacher at Hesse K-8 School in Savannah, died after her car was struck near the Whitefield Avenue and Truman Parkway intersection around 7:45 a.m. on Feb. 16.
- Police identified the driver as 38-year-old Oscar Vasquez Lopez, described by DHS/ICE as a Guatemalan national with a 2024 final order of removal; he is in custody facing first-degree vehicular homicide and multiple traffic charges.
- DHS and ICE say officers attempted a traffic stop, Lopez initially complied, then fled, made a U-turn, and ran a red light before colliding with Davis’s vehicle.
- Chatham County Police say they were not part of the ICE operation or pursuit and were unaware of it until after the crash, as county leaders questioned coordination under local no-chase policies.
- DHS called the death an “absolute tragedy” and criticized messages that encourage resisting arrest, while the crash investigation continues and the school system provides counseling to students and staff.