Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Nelson Michael Smith
Gender : Male
Age : 17
Race : White
Date : 08/04/2025
Location : Route 29 south of R & L Smith Lane
City : Pittsylvania
County : Pittsylvania
State : Virginia
Agency : Virginia State Police
Officer(s) :Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 08/04/2025, a Virginia State Police trooper from Halifax County attempted to stop a Kia SUV for speeding. The driver, Alton Willie Devone Wade, 26, fled northbound in the southbound lanes of Route 29. The SUV collided head-on with a Ford Focus driven by 17-year-old Nelson Michael Smith of Providence, North Carolina. Smith, who was wearing a seatbelt, was pronounced dead at the scene. Wade was airlifted to Roanoke Memorial Hospital with injuries and later charged.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.wdbj7.com/2025/08/05/pursuit-halifax-county-leads-wrong-way-head-on-collision-pittsylvania-county-one-killed/
https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2025/08/05/man-charged-following-police-chase-that-resulted-in-17-year-olds-death-in-halifax-county/
https://wset.com/news/local/virginia-state-police-investigating-halifax-pursuit-which-lead-to-a-crash-and-fatality-pittsylvania-county-alton-willie-devone-wade-nelson-michael-smith-august-2025
