In Oakland, California, a devastating hit-and-run crash shattered the lives of two families as 64-year-old Derrick Shaw and his 67-year-old fiancée Vera Hampton were tragically killed while headed to church.
On that Sunday morning, Shaw was driving his white SUV on 73rd Avenue in East Oakland, as he prepared to make a left turn onto Holly Street. At that moment, a stolen black sedan collided with the passenger side of Shaw's vehicle, where Hampton was sitting, according to KTVU. The collision's impact caused the couple's SUV to roll over and collide with a parked car. There were no survivors, save a 48-year-old friend who was riding in the rear of the SUV and is being treated for injuries.
UPDATE: Derrick Shaw, 64, and Vera Hampton, 67, were engaged to be married. They were headed to church when they were killed in hit-and-run crash at 73rd & Holly in East Oakland. “It’s not fair,” man’s daughter tells @AmberKTVU. Suspect held by @oaklandpoliceca pic.twitter.com/UbTRnuO9m3
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) September 27, 2023
According to witnesses, the suspect initially fled the scene on foot. Oakland Police later apprehended the driver, a 25-year-old man from Oakland, not far from the crash site, per CBS News San Francisco. Investigators currently do not know whether alcohol or drugs played any role in the incident.
One of the victims' daughters, Laquesha Carr, expressed concern about whether the police were following the stolen vehicle and, if so, why they chose to pursue it in a residential area, potentially endangering others, as reported by NBC Bay Area. Oakland Police Department (OPD) confirmed that it ordinarily only engages in pursuits if the suspect is believed to have committed a violent crime or used a gun in a crime. However, the OPD has not yet provided any information on whether there was any pursuit prior to the deadly crash.
