A woman is charged with a felony hit and run after police said she slammed into Virginia Living magazine editor Hope Cartwright as she was crossing a street, killing the 23-year-old.
Latesha Coleman, 41, is accused of driving away after she allegedly struck Cartwright while she was using a crosswalk at an intersection in Richmond on Monday, February 16, according to a Richmond Police Department news release provided to Us Weekly.
That evening, officers were called to the scene, where they found Cartwright “down and unresponsive” in the middle of the roadway, police said.
She was taken to a nearby hospital and later died of her injuries that same night, according to police.
Coleman, who is a Richmond resident, was identified as the driver involved in the deadly crash based on local traffic camera footage and data from Flock Automatic License Plate Readers, police said.
She was tracked down within an hour of the incident after authorities located her parked car, according to police.
It was not clear whether Coleman had retained legal counsel or entered a plea as of Thursday, February 19.
In a statement, Richmond Police Department Chief Rick Edwards credited “good police work” from officers and investigators that was aided by technology to “produce a rapid arrest for this tragic collision.”
Cartwright, also a Richmond resident, worked as an associate editor at Virginia Living, according to her magazine biography.
She was originally from Traverse City, Michigan, and had attended Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, her biography says.
Local resident Ari Abad spoke with WRIC-TV about the crash and said that “I think [Cartwright] was hit from the back, and she got dragged a little bit, and then the car completely ran her over.”
Abad’s Ring camera recorded the collision, and the footage was ultimately provided to police, the TV station reported.
In an emailed statement to WRIC-TV, Virginia Living editor-in-chief Madeline Mayhood said, “We are devastated.”
Mayhood shared that Cartwright had nearly worked for two years as Virginia Living’s associate editor.
“Hope was approaching her [second] anniversary as our associate editor at Virginia Living,” Mayhood told the TV station. “She was an exceptional member of our team, despite her young age. She came to us as a quiet and shy 21-year-old, fresh out of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern. Fortunately for me, she blossomed into a real leader, ace project manager, visionary storyteller and ace editor — a real rockstar.”
“Her death, at 23, is unfathomable,” Mayhood added. “We’re all still in disbelief and shock.”
Abad told WTVR that the intersection where police said Cartwright was struck is particularly busy, and that accidents commonly occur there.
Because of this, she and her husband installed a Ring camera outside their residence, the TV station reported.
In his statement, Chief Edwards said that the Richmond Police Department “is working several investigations of fatal collisions which are all advancing on their appropriate legal paths.”
He added that he is “encouraged by the quick result this mix of police work and technology can produce.”
Police are asking anyone with additional information on the crash to contact Richmond Police Detective Kimberly Quinn at (804) 646-6190 or Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.
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