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Dy’Quarius Dydrikquez “DQ” Gilbert

Age : 23

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 05/11/2022

Location : Bussey Road near the Turner-Irwin County line

City : Not Disclosed

County : Irwin

State : Georgia

Agency : Ashburn Police Department

Officer(s) :Eric Taylor-Hair

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Occupant killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

REASON FOR CHASE: Ashburn Police Officer Eric Taylor-Hair attempted to stop a 2002 Honda Accord after observing that it did not have an illuminated license-plate light.
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NARRATIVE:
On 05/11/2022, 23-year-old Dy’Quarius Dydrikquez “DQ” Gilbert was killed when a 2002 Honda Accord crashed during an Ashburn Police Department pursuit that began in Turner County and ended on Bussey Road in Irwin County.
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At approximately 2:39 a.m., Ashburn Police Officer Eric Taylor-Hair saw the Honda parked at the Honey Bear gas station. After the vehicle left the parking lot, Taylor-Hair observed that it did not have an illuminated license-plate light and attempted a traffic stop. The Honda continued away and Taylor-Hair initiated a pursuit.
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The pursuit continued for approximately 10 miles on Bussey Road. Contemporary reporting placed speeds above 85 mph, while subsequent records described the Honda reaching more than 100 mph. Taylor-Hair continued the pursuit as Bussey Road crossed from pavement onto an unpaved dirt surface.
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The Georgia State Patrol investigation concluded that the Honda entered a ditch, returned to the roadway and was subsequently struck by Taylor-Hair's police Ford F-150. Both vehicles overturned. A Sycamore Police Department officer responding to the pursuit subsequently crashed while attempting to avoid the wreckage.
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Gilbert suffered massive traumatic injuries and died. The second occupant of the Honda survived after being ejected from the vehicle.
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The identity of the Honda's driver became disputed after Gilbert's death. The official investigation identified Gilbert as the driver. Gilbert's family strongly disputed that conclusion and maintained that he had been the passenger. Their attorneys said their review of available video evidence contradicted portions of the official crash reconstruction.
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Gilbert's mother, Shikina Wilson, subsequently filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit against the City of Ashburn, Officer Eric Taylor-Hair and unidentified officers. The federal complaint expressly alleged that Gilbert was riding as a passenger in the Honda and identified the other occupant as Tadasku King, the owner of the vehicle. Because Gilbert's position in the vehicle remains disputed between the official investigation and his family's subsequent litigation, he is conservatively classified here as an occupant rather than definitively as either driver or passenger.
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The family's attorneys further alleged that Taylor-Hair had been warned over police radio that the paved road transitioned to dirt but continued the pursuit. They alleged that video showed Taylor-Hair entering the dirt section at high speed and contended that his Ford F-150 struck the Honda with sufficient force to cause the fatal crash. These allegations conflict with portions of the official reconstruction and should therefore remain explicitly attributed to Gilbert's family and attorneys.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Ashburn Police Officer Eric Taylor-Hair initiated and continued the pursuit. The Georgia State Patrol Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team investigated the fatal crash. Gilbert's family subsequently named Taylor-Hair as a defendant in federal civil-rights litigation arising from the pursuit and collision. In March 2025, the federal court dismissed the complaint without prejudice as an improperly structured pleading and permitted the plaintiff to replead; that ruling did not adjudicate the underlying factual allegations concerning the pursuit or collision.
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SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.walb.com/2022/05/12/1-dead-2-injured-overnight-police-chase-turner-county/
https://www.walb.com/2023/01/06/family-deceased-turner-co-car-crash-victim-raises-new-allegations/
https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn88054146/2023-01-04/ed-1/seq-2/
https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/67f3f351c0baaff61d2a1e67