- Valdosta Police said the driver of the vehicle possibly tied to a hit and run that led to the deathof a Valdosta teenager has been identified and is cooperating.
- Samuel Johnson, Jr. was a football player with the Valdosta Wildcat Football Program.
- A memorial service will be held on Sunday, December 17, 2023, at 2:00 PM at Perimeter Road Baptist Church - 4091 Inner Perimeter Rd, Valdosta, GA.
VPD NEWS RELEASE:
On Saturday, December 9, 2023, at approximately 6:15 pm., a 16-year-old male, Samuel Johnson, Jr., was walking in the 3900 block of Inner Perimeter Road. Johnson saw a dog that had been hit by an unknown vehicle, so he went to assist the injured dog.
While trying to rescue the injured dog, Johnson was struck and killed by second vehicle traveling through the area. The vehicle that struck Johnson did not stop.
On Monday, December 11, 2023, shortly after releasing the information on the dark in color Dodge Charger, year model 2011-2014, the driver of that vehicle came to the police department to talk to officers.
With his cooperation, officers and detectives located the vehicle at his residence. The vehicle was seized and taken to the Valdosta Lowndes Regional Crime Laboratory for processing. The driver of the vehicle has been identified and is fully cooperating with the investigation.
Traffic Officers are still looking at the evidence recovered from the scene and the vehicle, as well as interviewing witnesses. We are awaiting laboratory evidence to determine if it was the Charger that we have that struck Mr. Johnson.
The ongoing investigation is a collaborative effort between the Valdosta Police Department and the Southern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office. We are asking anyone who was in the area when the accident, and saw anything, please contact the Valdosta Police Department.
If anyone has any information, please contact the Valdosta Police Department Bureau of Investigative Services at 229-293-3145, the crime tip line at 229-293-3091, or file a tip online at www.valdostacity.com/police-department.
