Inset left: Turatsinze Gadi (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office). Inset right: The 6-year-old girl reportedly killed by Turatsinze Gadi in a crash on Sunday night in Phoenix, Ariz. (GoFundMe). Background: The Toyota Corolla impacted by Turatsinze Gadi’s Toyota Tundra pickup truck (KTVK/YouTube).
An Arizona man, allegedly drinking and using drugs during his girlfriend’s birthday celebration, crashed his pickup truck into a Toyota Corolla occupied by several children, resulting in the death of a 6-year-old girl and injuring her 2-year-old sister, police report.
According to law enforcement, Turatsinze Gadi, 21, from Phoenix, initially claimed he was brake checked to justify the fatal collision, a claim proven false as per local TV channel KTVK, referencing information from Maricopa County and state authorities.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) reported that officers arrived at the crash location just before 8 p.m. on Sunday, discovering the wrecked Corolla with five occupants, including the deceased 6-year-old and her injured 2-year-old sister, who was subsequently hospitalized.
A GoFundMe page created for the children’s mother states, “Their family must now endure the heartache of saying farewell to their beloved daughter, while her sister remains in ICU, fighting to heal,” the appeal says.
Gadi was detained after allegedly abandoning the Toyota Tundra at a nearby QuikTrip, as reported by KTVK. He confessed to the officers that he felt shocked and unsure of what to do next, according to DPS statements.
Gadi allegedly drank beer and tequila while celebrating his girlfriend’s birthday on Sunday night and also smoked marijuana, per KTVK. Despite blowing a .219 during his BAC test, Gadi tried claiming he was only a “three or four” on a scale out of 10 for how intoxicated he felt, according to DPS officials. He was allegedly clocked at 105 mph and seen swerving in and out of traffic.
“I’m sorry,” Gadi reportedly said Monday during his first court appearance for charges of second-degree murder, endangerment, aggravated assault, and failure to stay at the scene of an accident involving death.
“I’m so sorry,” he repeated.
A judge ordered Gadi held on a $500,000 bond and he was still behind bars Thursday.
