Gordon Turner, 22, of Delaware, has been charged with murder after allegedly using a rental van to flee from police, which caused a multi-vehicle crash. Many others were injured, and unfortunately, one graduate student from the University of Delaware died as a result.
According to WPVI, the event occurred on Tuesday, April 29. Police reportedly located a U-Haul van on East Main Street in Newark, Delaware. According to the publication, the van was supposed to have been returned to a rental facility on March 18. However, at 4:34 p.m., officers noticed Turner and a passenger returning to the vehicle.
When Turner saw police were approaching, he allegedly drove over a curb. He allegedly rammed a police vehicle before driving away onto East Main Street.
“The suspects disregarded officer commands and exited the parking lot at a high rate of speed,” a news release issued by police said, as per Fox News. “Newark officers did not engage in a vehicle pursuit and remained in the shopping center.”
As Turner allegedly fled, authorities believe he lost control and struck two graduate students. Moments later, the van collided with multiple parked vehicles. One had four individuals inside, while the other had only one. A chain reaction ensued, injuring a third person. According to reports, this person was hit by a vehicle pushed by one of the automobiles involved in the incident.
Graduate Student Dead
Unfortunately, one female University of Delaware graduate student, 24, died on the first day of classes, according to WPVI. According to KVNU Talk, a second graduate student was seriously injured and brought to the hospital. They were in stable condition as of Wednesday, April 30. Three victims were sent to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Three others were treated on the spot for minor injuries.
Gordon Turner was arrested and charged with second-degree murder – death caused by the commission of a felony, second-degree murder – reckless conduct demonstrating indifference to human life, first-degree assault—conduct endangering life or serious injury, disregarding a police officer’s signal, and possession/consumption of marijuana in excess of personal use quantities.
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings described the act as a “gut-wrenching, senseless, and intolerable crime.”
“A student was murdered during an attempt by the defendant to evade a simple traffic stop by law enforcement,” Jennings said. “These students were not in the wrong place at the wrong time — they were nine young people out on a beautiful spring day. One of those young people will never go home.”
The University of Delaware released a statement regarding the untimely death of the graduate student.
“This is a terrible tragedy,” the statement read. “We speak for the entire University in offering our condolences to the families, friends and classmates of the victims, and keep the other members of our community in our thoughts who may have witnessed the crash and its aftermath.”
The other passenger who accompanied Turner was detained but has not been charged.
