INDIANAPOLIS — A Marion County judge has granted special driving privileges to a suspect in a deadly crash last year.
Connor Gaskill faces multiple charges, including reckless homicide and causing death when operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, in connection to the Sept. 29 crash that killed Rashid Conteh.
A court document alleges that Gaskill caused the crash that killed Conteh by driving at 55 mph in a 30 mph zone and failed to stop at a stop sign, never applying his brakes, before t-boning a Lyft in which Rashid Conteh and two others were passengers.
The court order granting special driving privileges allows Gaskill to drive to work, any medical appointments, any legal appointment and for treatment.
"You go to and from work. You do not stop at the grocery, the gas station other than to get gas, the liquor store, anywhere else. It is like being on home detention," Judge Angela Davis said during the hearing. "You get to and from work and that’s it.”
A prosecutor's office spokesperson told WRTV the court ordered the SDP over the State’s argument and objection.
On Feb. 13, the state filed a motion to reconsider the specialized privileges, citing Gaskill's criminal history.
According to a 2014 article by the Herald Bulletin and the petition, Gaskill was involved in another fatal crash in 2014.
The Herald Bulletin article states that Gaskill was “following too closely” when he rear-ended a car sending it into oncoming traffic and causing a crash that killed a motorcyclist.
The court document also lists two previous speeding infractions on Gaskill's record in 2019 and 2021.
"Defendant/petitioner has an established pattern of reckless driving behavior involving excessive speeds which makes him a danger to the public at large," the petition reads.
The Conteh family shared the following statement with WRTV's Kelsey Anderson:
“We are extremely disappointed that specialized driving privileges were granted to the drunk driver who killed our son and brother. We continue to seek the transparency IMPD promised in relation to their internal investigation, namely how this drunk driver walked away from the scene of the accident without a sobriety test as required by statute. If this test had been done, we believe driving privileges would not have been granted today.”
PREVIOUS | 'We're going to fight like hell': Family raises questions about investigation into deadly crash
An autopsy determined Conteh's cause of death was "multiple blunt force injuries resulting from an accident."
Nelson Conteh, Rashid Conteh's brother, the other passenger and the driver of the Lyft were also injured.
The affidavit states that Connor Gaskill told an officer he "did not remember how the accident happened" and initially claimed the Lyft had turned in front of him on East 24th Street. When questioned further, "he stated he couldn't give an honest answer about how the crash occurred."
Gaskill's next court date is scheduled for March 27, online court records show.
WRTV has reached out to Gaskill's attorney but have not heard back.
-
Indianapolis neighbors take the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics Indiana
Over $600,000 has been raised so far this year for Special Olympics Indiana through its Polar Plunge events. Participants braved the cold waters at Geist Saturday morning.
Crews recover bodies of 9 backcountry skiers days after California avalanche
Crews have recovered the bodies of nine backcountry skiers who were killed in a California avalanche four days ago.
Man shot, killed on Indy's east side
A person was critically injured in a shooting Saturday on the city's east side, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
Fire breaks out at VA Hospital in Marion, no injuries reported
Marion Fire Department crews responded to a large-scale fire at the VA Hospital on Saturday morning.
