Docs: Speeding driver ran stop sign before crash that killed Lyft passenger
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A Pendleton man has been charged for a crash that killed a Lyft passenger last month.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office has charged 24-year-old Connor Gaskill with reckless homicide. He’s accused of being behind the wheel of a vehicle that struck another vehicle just after midnight on Sept. 29. Rashid Conteh was killed as a result of the crash.
According to court documents, Gaskill was headed west on 24th Street in a white 2019 Honda Accord. As he approached the intersection of 24th and Delaware streets, investigators say he ignored a stop sign and t-boned the passenger side of another car, a gray 2020 Honda Accord, that was headed north on Delaware Street. That intersection does not have a stop sign for drivers on Delaware Street and a “cross traffic does not stop” notice is posted for drivers on 24th Street.
Conteh was pronounced dead just before 1 a.m. after being taken to a hospital. He was one of three passengers in the backseat of the vehicle as they were headed home after a concert.
Conteh’s brother was one of the other passengers. Court documents indicate he suffered a possible fracture on his hand and the other passenger had broken bones in his neck and ribs.
Gaskill initially told investigators that the other vehicle turned in front of him, then “he stated he couldn’t give an honest answer about how the crash occurred,” court documents state.
“Connor Gaskill also said he was driving home to the Anderson, Indiana area from Broad Ripple,” court documents state. “After providing his information, a statement and a cursory check by paramedics, Conner Gaskill walked from the collision area.”
A probable cause affidavit reviewed by News 8 does not indicate if the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department tested Gaskill for impairment.
IMPD detectives reviewed data from Gaskill’s airbag control modules, where they learned he was traveling 55 mph per hour in a 30 mph zone at the moment of impact.
The crash resulted in both of the vehicles going off the road and into a yard.
IMPD spoke with residents in the area to learn more about the crash.
One woman said she went to the scene and helped Gaskill out of his car.
“He was uninjured and said he needed to get out of there. The OnStar for the white car kept saying, ‘Benjamin, do you need an ambulance?’” court documents state. “[The witness] asked the driver of the white car what his name was. He told her that his name was not Benjamin and he wasn’t telling her what his name was. She told him he needed to stay and went to help the other injured people at the scene.”
Gaskill is not listed as in custody at the Marion County Jail and IMPD has not been able to provide a mugshot for him.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office has requested a greater than standard bond for Gaskill.
According to the Anderson Herald Bulletin, Gaskill was also involved in a fatal crash when he was 16.
