More Charges For Driver After South End Hit and Run Victim Dies

CHARLOTTE, NC -- A woman hit by a car while in a South Tryon St. crosswalk has died from her injuries, leading police to add charges for the driver who had already been arrested for fleeing the scene. Jessica Nicole Morrell, 31, died Saturday, May 6 from the injuries she suffered in the March 6 hit-and-run accident, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said Monday.

CMPD arrested Jeffrey Jay Laforce, 25, without incident May 8 and charge him with involuntary manslaughter. It was the second arrest for LaForce, who reportedly struck Morrell as she attempted to cross South Tryon St. near Bland St. around 9 p.m. on Saturday, March 4.

Witnesses told police at the time that Morrell was hit by a silver Dodge Avenger driving through a red light. LaForce was later identified through traffic cameras as the driver and charged at that time with Felony Hit and Run.

Following his arrest May 8 at his home, LaForce was transferred to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.

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The hit-and-run accident and the role DOT cameras played in LaForce’s arrest has prompted city officials to consider bringing back red-light traffic cameras, which the city stopped operating in 2006, The Charlotte Observer reported in March.

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