LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The family of 12-year-old Jada Smith from Detroit is mourning her death after a Labor Day crash in Louisville, Kentucky, that police say was caused by a drunk driver.
“The world only knew what she was gonna be,” said Seanate Jones of Detroit, Jada’s grandmother. “I don’t have any more time with her, but the time I had, I cherished and loved with my granddaughter.”
It was early Labor Day morning when police say Renaldo James Gill, driving a Dodge Durango, slammed into the back of a Jeep Compass on the Gene Snyder Freeway near New Cut Road in Louisville. Investigators said Gill was allegedly drunk and speeding when the crash occurred.
Jada’s mother, Jasmine Simpson, was driving the Jeep with Jada and her 4-year-old daughter inside. The Jeep rolled onto its roof after being hit, ejecting Jada from the vehicle. She was found in a ditch and later pronounced dead at the scene.
“Jasmine was laying down on the ground and Daniyah was under the car,” Simpson’s sister, Danaya Broome, said as she tearfully described the aftermath.
Police said the car seat with the 4-year-old strapped inside was found under the vehicle. Both Simpson and the younger child were rushed to University Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Simpson remains in the ICU, where she told Local 4 she has two broken legs, a broken arm, and just underwent another surgery. Her sister said she is struggling mentally and emotionally.
“I just can’t understand why he would take this away from me. [Jada] was my best friend,” Jasmine told Local 4 from her hospital bed. “She was the glue to a lot of people. She was outstanding. Smart. Any room she stepped in, it was with open arms.”
Police told WAVE-TV Gill smelled strongly of alcohol at the scene. He first denied drinking, then admitted to having two shots of tequila before 10:30 p.m. Gill refused a breathalyzer, showed signs of intoxication, and had marijuana in his possession, according to an arrest citation.
Gill has been charged with DUI, murder, assault, and failure to wear a seatbelt. His bond was raised to $500,000 during a court appearance, with the judge calling him a “danger to everyone in this community.” He was also issued a no-contact order and had his license suspended. Gill is due back in court on Wednesday, Sept. 10.
Simpson, still hospitalized, has also been cited for wanton endangerment and not properly securing her children in the vehicle. But Broome insists Jada may have unbuckled her own seatbelt to help her sister, who is autistic: “No one knows if Jada got out her seatbelt to help her sister and made a mistake and unstrapped her seatbelt.”
Louisville Metro Police Chief Paul Humphrey said the focus should remain on the choices that led to the crash: “Let’s not detract from the fact there was somebody who chose to drink, chose to get behind the wheel of a car and ultimately killed this girl.”
Now, the family’s focus is on bringing Jasmine back home to Detroit to recover and returning Jada’s body for a proper goodbye.
The family has created a GoFundMe to cover Jada’s funeral costs, help transport her body back to Michigan, and assist with Simpson’s medical expenses. You can donate here.