LSU Student, Fiancé Killed After Being Struck by Vehicle on Nicholson Drive; Driver Arrested
Police said Mia Dawson was booked on vehicular homicide and impaired driving charges after the crash killed two pedestrians.
- On Sunday, October 18, 2026, 20-year-old Mia Dawson struck and killed Leah Fonte and Shane Hirstius while they walked along Nicholson Drive in Baton Rouge. Baton Rouge Police arrested Dawson on multiple charges, including vehicular homicide and operating while impaired.
- The 2:40 a.m. collision occurred in the 5000 block of Nicholson Drive as Fonte and Hirstius walked on the right shoulder. Fonte was an LSU senior from Metairie, while Hirstius served as a firefighter with the Third District Volunteer Fire Department.
- "Shane was much more than a firefighter," the Third District Volunteer Fire Department said in a post. Fonte and Hirstius, both 21, were engaged and set to marry in 2028.
- Dawson remains in the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison facing multiple charges including vehicular homicide and hit-and-run driving. Chancellor Jim Dalton stated the university is providing counseling resources, including LSU Cares, to the grieving community.
- The Baton Rouge Police Department confirmed the investigation into the fatal crash remains ongoing. LSU President Wade Rousse expressed condolences to the Fonte family, asking for comfort for those mourning the tragedy.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Leah Victoria Fonte, 21, and Shane David Hirstius, of the same age, were walking on a Baton Rouge road when they were attacked by a vehicle
LSU Student & Firefighter Fiancé Killed by Impaired Driver
A 20-year-old woman charged with driving impaired allegedly struck and killed an LSU student and her firefighter fiancé as the young couple walked along a Baton Rouge road early Sunday. Leah Fonte and Shane Hirstius, both 21 and high school sweethearts engaged to be married, were walking on the right shoulder when a vehicle veered […]
LSU Student and Firefighter Fiancé Killed Near Campus; Underage Driver Arrested for Impairment
Internewscast Internewscast A Louisiana State University student and her firefighter fiancé, who had been… This Post: LSU Student and Firefighter Fiancé Killed Near Campus; Underage Driver Arrested for Impairment first appeared on Internewscast
LSU student and firefighter fiancé mowed down near campus, impaired underage driver arrested – Democratic Accent
A Louisiana State University student and her firefighter fiancé, high school sweethearts, were killed when... The post LSU student and firefighter fiancé mowed down near campus, impaired underage driver arrested appeared first on Democratic Accent .
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