A teen driver was indicted on manslaughter charges for striking and killing two Oakton High School students in Vienna, Virginia.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced the charges Thursday for 18-year-old Usman Shahid of Fairfax for allegedly killing the teenage girls during the June 7 crash.
He was indicted on two counts of involuntary manslaughter. Each count is a felony and carries the possibility of up to 10 years in jail. He did not appear in court Thursday. A hearing date is set for July 8, according to WTOP.
“This is a tragic incident that could have been avoided, and our hearts break for the families of these two young girls,” Descano said in a news release. “There are no winners in this situation. I am committed to working toward accountability in a manner that promotes healing for the families involved and the wider community.”
A third pedestrian was also injured during the crash.
Earlier this month, Fairfax County police reported that Shahid was driving his BMW at a high rate of speed on the southbound side of Blake Lane when he collided with a Toyota 4Runner that was attempting to take a left from the northbound side of the road onto Five Oaks Road.
Police said that Shahid‘s car ricocheted off the Toyota and hit three pedestrians on the sidewalk, causing injuries that resulted in the deaths of the two teens.
Shahid crashed into a utility pole before coming to a stop.
Authorities said that Shahid, and his passenger, a juvenile, fled from the scene of the crash, but were later identified by police and taken to the hospital for treatment of their injuries.
During a Thursday news conference, Fairfax Police Chief Kevin Davis said that Shahid was driving at 81 miles per hour at the time of the crash.
“This case really does show what can happen when people, particularly teenagers, don’t take the power of a car seriously,” Descano told WTOP News. “These can be dangerous machines and if that power of the car is not respected, it can lead to tragic outcomes like it did here where we had two young girls who were killed.”
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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