A Louisiana cop has been charged with negligent homicide after killing two teenage girls during a high-speed chase on New Year’s Eve. According to reports, David Cauthron, who’d been working with the police department for less than a year, plowed straight into a car carrying 17-year-old Maggie Dunn and 16-year-old Caroline Gill, who both died at the scene of the crash. A third passenger — Dunn’s brother Liam — remained in critical condition.
Sources allege that Cauthron did not slam his brakes before making an impact with the unrelated car in the chase. The 42-year-old was said to have been after a suspect named Tyquel Zanders, who reportedly stole a family member’s car. Eyewitnesses claimed that Cauthron had sped past a red light at an intersection seconds before slamming into the vehicle that took the lives of the two teenagers.
A police officer in Louisiana was arrested after he ran a red light and killed 2 teenage girls. David Cauthron, 42, was in a reckless pursuit when his negligent actions resulted in a deadly crash that took the lives of Maggie Dunn, 17, and Caroline Gill, 16. pic.twitter.com/TDzmQXn1T2
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) January 3, 2023
Zanders was later arrested after his car had stalled on the road, and he, too, will be facing charges related to the crash, including manslaughter, as well as charges pertaining to the stolen vehicle. “He put the chain of events into play,” Eighteenth Judicial District Attorney Tony Clayton said.
“He’s responsible for all the reactions to his actions. He’s facing two counts, and if that poor kid doesn’t survive, he’ll face another.” Dunn and Gill have since received an outpouring amount of tributes on social media from their former classmates, while the Brusly High School cheerleading team shared a heartfelt message to the girls on its official Facebook page.
“As we mourn the tragic deaths of Maggie Dunn and Caroline Gill please keep their families, friends, and the BHS community in your thoughts and prayers,” they wrote. “Their enthusiasm and bright smiles will be missed more than can be imagined.”
Maggie’s brother Liam Dunn, a freshman at the U of Louisiana at Lafayette, was reportedly critically injured in the crash.
A 18th Judicial District Attorney berated the cop, who has been with the PD for less than a year. He previously worked for a sheriff’s office in the state.
— MatterThatMatters (@WillMatter4) January 3, 2023
Principal Walt Lemoine continued, “We are saddened by the loss to our school community and will make every effort to help you and your child as you need.”
As for Cauthron, investigators are now trying to make sense of his terrible decision-making when he passed a red light at an intersection and didn’t consider the possibility he would make contact with another vehicle during the high-speed chase.