An Atlanta college student who worked on the Netflix series “A Different World” and even made a brief on-screen appearance was killed in a car crash involving a driver traveling 94 miles per hour in a 35-mph zone, according to police and her grieving family.
Morgan Gamble, a 21-year-old student at Clark Atlanta University, was driving on Hank Aaron Drive at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday when her car was struck by a vehicle driven by Nikolai Dunford, police said. Dunford was charged with reckless driving, speeding and first-degree vehicular homicide.
Gamble was taken to a hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
“We’ve been coping with it. Dealing with it,” her father, George Gamble, told Atlanta News First. “[We’re] trying to find out the answers, trying to get some clarity on how this could happen.”
“I’m just really perplexed as to how a car can travel 95 miles an hour in a 35-miles-per-hour zone,” George Gamble said.
Police said Dunford was traveling 94 mph when he struck Gamble on Hank Aaron Drive, where the speed limit is 35 mph.
Precious Sesay, who lives nearby, ran outside after hearing the crash. When she saw Gamble’s condition, she immediately called 911.
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“All I could do is tell the police, ‘She’s young and she needs help right now,’” Sesay said.
Gamble was an accomplished student who had recently been named “Miss Omega Psi Phi” by her sorority at Clark Atlanta University. She was pursuing her passion for media and production by launching new clubs and podcasts.
She worked on the sets of several media and film projects in Atlanta. As a student assistant, she also appeared briefly on screen in Netflix’s “A Different World.”
“She was a leader. That’s why you see a lot of pictures of her in groups because she is the light that everybody is drawn to,” her sister, Azhae Hylton, told Atlanta News First.
Clark Atlanta University provided “days of support” and counseling resources for students on Wednesday and Thursday.
“The loss of a member of our University community is deeply felt, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to Morgan’s family, friends, classmates and all who knew and loved Morgan,” the university said in a statement. “During this time of sorrow, scholars are encouraged to support one another.”
Residents said the intersection where the crash occurred has long been plagued by reckless driving.
City officials need “to respond to this accident and tell us: What’s the compromise? Because somebody’s child is gone and that’s not changing,” said Kayla Starks.
