Teen Who Called Victim Slur Not At Fault In Fatal Crash: Cops

VERNON PARISH, LA — New information has been released in a crash involving a Louisiana teenager who struck and killed a black man clearing debris from a highway and who was later alleged to have called the man a racist slur online. In a news release, Louisiana State Police released information that showed the teen was not at fault in a number of factors contributing to the man's death.

Sherell Lewis Jr., 31, was killed in the crash May 29. According to the Louisiana State Police, Lewis and another pedestrian were removing wood from U.S. Highway 171 when Lewis was hit.

After the crash, a Snapchat chat began to circulate online in which the man whose vehicle struck Lewis, 18-year-old Matthew Martin, who is white, is alleged to have said that he hit "some (racial slur)." The chat seemed to be started in response to photos a user named Matthew Martin had posted of his car after the crash. Screenshots of the chat were posted to Twitter and were posted by local news channel, including by KPLC-TV.

"how did the chevy take it?" asks the other person in the chat.

"f*****d it up pretty good lol" Martin apparently responds.

When asked if the man died on impact, Martin responded that he died on the way to the hospital.

In a news release on Thursday, Louisiana State Police said that after a thorough investigation, it found that:

• Martin was driving at the posted speed limit and slowed down as he approached Lewis.
• Martin switched from the right lane to the left lane as he approached the scene. As Lewis entered the right lane, he changed the direction he was walking in and walked back toward the grass median. "This action placed him in the direct path of the 2003 Chevrolet pickup," police said.
• Lewis' injuries and the damage to the car's bumper helped to confirm the direction Lewis was walking in when the crash happened
• Forensics investigators examined Martin's phone and found he was not on his phone at the time of the crash

The Vernon Parish Sheriff's Office issued a statement at the time of the crash, addressing the comments on Snapchat. It said the post contained unacceptable language with no place in civilized society, and said it used words that are morally wrong. The sheriff's office also said that while the language used in the Snapchat post was incendiary as well as morally and socially unacceptable, it did not violate any criminal code within Louisiana law.

Lewis owned a barber shop and was remembered by friends and family as kind hearted and someone who would always help others. According to The Town Talk, Lewis' barbershop is getting ready to reopen after the community chipped in to renovate it.

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