Renisha Thompson sat in the passenger seat of a black Cadillac on Wednesday afternoon in Memphis, Tennessee. The day started ordinary enough near Red Leaf Lane. Then everything went sideways fast.
Members of the Memphis Safe Task Force had been watching the car. The driver, 32-year-old Justin Thomas, had run from them before during a traffic stop. He had an active warrant for a weapons charge. Thomas and Thompson got in the Cadillac. He made several U-turns trying to shake the agents in the neighborhood.
Thomas turned onto West Shelby Drive. Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers tried to pull him over near South Third Street. He took off. The chase was on.
The pursuit ended near West Levi Road and South Third Street. The Cadillac slammed into four other vehicles. Thompson was thrown from the car. She was pronounced dead right there at the scene.
Thomas was thrown too. He ended up in critical condition at the hospital. Two other drivers got hurt in the wreck, both with lesser injuries.
Authorities charged Thomas with vehicular manslaughter. They also hit him with possession of controlled substances, speeding, and fleeing from law enforcement. Records show he led troopers on another chase back in August on Kirby Parkway and Knight Arnold Road.
Thompson’s life ended in that pileup. No big details about her background have come out yet. Family and friends are left dealing with the sudden loss. The investigation into the crash continues
Leave a Reply