What to Know
- A 23-year-old woman died and another woman was hurt after their driver blew through a stop sign and hit another car, sources say
- The crash happened at 55th Street and Foster Avenue in East Flatbush, according to police
- The driver who blew the stop sign ran from the scene after the accident, police say
Charges have been dropped against the off-duty New York City police officer who was involved in a crash that killed a 23-year-old woman, as well as seriously injuring another woman, when their driver blew through a stop sign, according to a law enforcement source in the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.
The two women were being driven by a man in a Mazda around 5 a.m. on Sunday when the driver went through a stop sign at 55th Street and Foster Avenue in East Flatbush, according to the NYPD. Officer Rohan Shaw was driving a white Nissan down Foster Avenue when he allegedly hit the Mazda, causing it to spin into a telephone pole.
Joanna Dixon of Brooklyn and 22-year-old Nia Reynolds were taken to the hospital where Dixon was pronounced dead, police said. Reynolds was in critical condition.
Collado Gray tells NBC New York that he was just out with his cousin, Dixon, celebrating her 23rd birthday the night before her tragic death.
The driver of the Mazda fled the scene after the incident.
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"It's cold-hearted. You know you're the driver of the car and you're responsible. You stay there and make sure everybody's fine, instead you run off," Gray said.
Police say they know who he is but they didn't identify him. "But we all know why he ran, because he know he was wrong. He knows he was drinking and probably doing other things. He wasn't in the right state of mind to be behind the wheel," Gray continued.
Shaw wasn't seriously injured in the incident, according to police. Originally, police charged him with negligent homicide charge, Shaw faces vehicular manslaughter, reckless driver, speed violation and DWAI Alcohol charge.
Sources tell NBC New York that Shaw is a NYPD veteran who works in the counter-terrorism unit. He also had a previous DWI charge back in 2006, the law enforcement source said.
He had been expected to be arraigned Monday morning but was no longer in custody by that point.
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"The case was deferred prosecution pending further investigation," the district attorney's office said.
Police continue to search for the driver of the Mazda and the investigation is ongoing.
