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Sariah Marie Sheppards

Age : 5

Gender : Female

Race : Black

Date : 04/28/2021

Location : East 9th Street & Sutro Street

City : Reno

County : Washoe

State : Nevada

Agency : Sparks Police Department; Reno Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

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REASON FOR CHASE: Bystander killed during felony-warrant pursuit
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NARRATIVE:
On 04/28/2021 at approximately 8:20 p.m., 5-year-old Sariah Marie Sheppards was riding in a 2003 Honda Accord driven by her mother, La'Shae Northington, when a fleeing 2007 Scion ran a red light at East 9th and Sutro streets and crashed into their car. Sariah suffered fatal injuries and died several hours later at Renown Regional Medical Center. Her mother survived.
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Police had attempted to stop 33-year-old Jesse Allen Bennett of Eugene, Oregon, because he had felony warrants from Oregon involving domestic violence and attempted kidnapping. Both Sparks and Reno police were involved in efforts to stop Bennett before the crash. Police later maintained that officers were no longer actively pursuing the Scion at the moment it struck Sariah's mother's car.
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Bennett ran the red light and struck the Honda. He and his passenger abandoned the Scion and fled on foot. Bennett was captured and arrested; authorities reported charges including DUI and possession of drugs for sale in addition to charges arising from the fatal crash.
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Two days later, Sariah's mother joined dozens of family members, friends and community members at a vigil at the crash site. Balloons, flowers and candles covered the intersection. A motorcyclist who witnessed the crash followed Bennett after he fled and provided police information that helped locate him; Sariah's family publicly thanked him. Family remembered Sariah as an exceptionally bright, affectionate child whose smile drew people to her.
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Sariah's mother subsequently sued Bennett and the cities of Reno and Sparks. The lawsuit alleged that police negligence contributed to Sariah's death and challenged the agencies' handling of the attempt to apprehend Bennett. The case reached the Nevada Supreme Court in 2022 after the district court dismissed the claim against Sparks. The Supreme Court dismissed Northington's appeal on procedural grounds because claims against Bennett and Reno were still pending, meaning there was not yet a final appealable judgment resolving the entire case.
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Sariah's death also became part of Nevada advocacy over police pursuits. In testimony submitted to the Nevada Legislature in 2023, her death was specifically identified as an innocent-motorist pursuit death involving Sparks and Reno police.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Sparks and Reno police officers involved in the attempted stop and pursuit were not publicly identified.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.kolotv.com/2021/04/29/9th-and-sutro-intersection-blocked-as-police-investigate-crash/
https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2022/06/09/reno-sparks-nevada-sued-fleeing-suspect-deadly-crash-sariah-sheppards/7506291001/
https://thisisreno.com/2021/05/photos-community-mourns-5-year-old-sariah-sheppards/
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/nv-supreme-court/1972483.html
https://ournevadajudges.com/assets/docs/cases/pdf/50439-84727.pdf
GoFundMe:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/sariah-maries-im