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ATHENS, GA — Nearly three months after the highway accident that killed the University of Georgia football player and sports staff, 11Alive obtained body camera footage and copies of interviews conducted by officers during the investigation.
Devin Willock, 20-year-old offensive lineman, and Chandler LeCroy, 24-year-old recruitment analyst, died during the crash on January 15 after the team’s national championship parade. Two other passengers in the vehicle survived.
Police say LeCroy, who was driving intoxicated in a college-rented Ford Expedition SUV, drove from a downtown bar to Athens’ Waffle House to race with former UGA defensive lineman and top NFL contender Jalen Carter. I judged that I was doing it.
Related: Newly released photos, video offer more insight into deadly crash that killed UGA footballer, staff
11Alive obtained nearly eight hours of footage through an open record request submitted in early March. Police in Athens, Georgia, released the footage after Carter did not contest his two misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing.
Body camera footage and interviews provide insight into law enforcement’s initial response and the agency’s investigation into the accident. The video is graphic and 11Alive does not publish the entire footage.
Initial Response of Shipwrecks and Law Enforcement
LeCroy, Willock, UGA offensive lineman Warren McLendon, and college football staffer Tory Bowles were on the Black Ford Expedition when they hit a curb about three miles from downtown.
The vehicle cut through trees and pulled out utility lines before stopping in front of an apartment complex on Barnett Shoals Road.
The Ford reached speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour and crashed in less than four seconds. Police reports said the speedometer stuck at 83 miles per hour after the wreck.
Officers and paramedics who arrived shortly after the accident worked frantically to care for Willock, LeCroy and Bowles. They were all seriously injured.
Willock was thrown out of the vehicle. First responders attempted to find his pulse, but were unable to do so. He was confirmed dead at the scene.
LeCroy was unresponsive in the front seat and had to be pulled out of the car. A first responder thought he had spotted signs of life and performed his CPR on LeCroy while he was at the scene and en route to the Athens Regional Hospital in Piedmont. LeCroy died in hospital.
A toxicology report showed LeCroy’s blood alcohol level at the time of the accident was 0.197, more than double the legal limit. In an earlier statement, the university said LeCroy was not engaged in university activities when the wreck occurred.
11Alive previously reported that LeCroy received at least four speeding tickets in four different counties since 2016. The staff said he was ticketed for speeding 24 mph from 19 mph over the speed limit.
A Morgan County court clerk previously told 11Alive that Bryant Gant, the university’s director of player support and operations, tried unsuccessfully to reduce LeCroy’s fines for October 2022 tickets. .
Bowles was outside his crumpled SUV, lying on the ground, when Athens police began to arrive. Officers helped Bowles move a few steps away from her car before she lay down in the parking lot, where she was taken to hospital.
McClendon was vigilant, talking to police officers and other UGA football players at the scene. His hoodie was splattered with blood from a cut on his head. was carried.
who was interviewed?
11Alive has obtained copies of post-crash site, police station and phone interviews. Some have been interviewed multiple times.
The UGA players who have been questioned by police are:
- carter
- McLendon
- UGA linebacker Hamon Dumas Johnson – Johnson blocked the road after his purple Dodge Charger was wrecked. Johnson was arrested in February on misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and highway/street racing.
- UGA Defensive Lineman Malcolm Brown
- UGA linebacker Xavian Sorey Jr.
McLendon, who was in the front seat at the time of the wreck, told officers at the scene that he had no idea how fast the Ford was going because he was looking at his phone. told police it felt like LeCroy was driving “a little faster” but was still unsure of her exact speed.
Under police questioning, Carter gave contradictory accounts of the wreck. In the same eight-minute interview at the scene, Carter said he was close enough to see the taillights of the Grand He was driving a Cherokee Truckhawk, and Carter said he was behind and beside the SUV.
Carter denied that he was racing. A player who spoke with police said Carter called them and told them about the wreck.
“I wasn’t running fast,” Carter said.
According to data obtained by Athens-Clark County Police, Carter’s jeep was over 100 mph before the LeCroy wreck.
“Okay, next question. Be honest,” the officer asked Carter.
“No, it wasn’t,” Carter replied.
“You can tell they were moving by looking at the damage to the car,” the officer said.
fallout
Carter was sentenced to 12 months probation, paid a $1,000 fine, 80 hours of community service, and attended a state-approved defensive driving course for failing to contest two traffic misdemeanor charges. I was.
At a press conference in March, UGA head football coach Kirby Smart said his players have been through a lot since the wreck.
“When you talk about the help and mental health that some of us have needed since the accident, it’s been really hard for them,” he said. I feel they are beginning to realize that making such a decision can cost lives and should not be taken lightly.”
Smart said he felt he was in control of the program.
“We have complete control over our programs and the children who participate in our programs,” he said. “Student-athletes make mistakes. Mistakes happen all over the country. They happen here. We have no control over our program.”
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