LSU Student, Firefighter Fiancé Killed in Baton Rouge Hit-and-Run
Police arrested 20-year-old Mia Dawson on charges including vehicular homicide and impaired driving after the 2:40 a.m. crash.
A 20-year-old woman faces vehicular homicide charges after allegedly driving off a Baton Rouge road early Sunday and killing an engaged couple walking on the shoulder. The crash left Louisiana State University senior Leah Fonte dead at the scene. Her fiancé, volunteer firefighter Shane Hirstius, died later at a hospital.
Officers arrested Mia Dawson following the 2:40 a.m. collision, according to the Baton Rouge Police Department. Dawson is charged with operating while impaired, reckless operation of a vehicle, hit and run driving, vehicular homicide and vehicular negligent injuring. Both victims were 21.
Pedestrian fatalities involving suspected impaired drivers have surged across Louisiana over the past decade. State traffic safety data consistently ranks the state among the most dangerous in the U.S. for pedestrians, particularly during overnight hours when visibility drops and alcohol-related crashes peak. A hit-and-run charge elevates the potential sentencing exposure significantly under Louisiana law, where vehicular homicide alone carries up to 30 years in prison.
Dawson veered off the roadway and struck the two people who were walking on the right shoulder, officials said. The exact road was not immediately identified in the initial police release.
Fonte was studying biological sciences and in her final year at LSU, according to a statement from the institution. LSU president Wade Rousse issued condolences on behalf of the university system.
Hirstius served with the River Ridge volunteer fire department. High school sweethearts, the couple had recently become engaged.
The fire department confirmed his death in a Facebook post, calling him “a person with an enormous heart, an unforgettable smile, and a genuine passion for helping others.”
Volunteer fire departments in Louisiana rely heavily on young recruits like Hirstius to staff rural and suburban stations. Losing an active-duty member to a traffic incident rather than a fireground emergency underscores the persistent danger first responders face outside their primary duties.
Dawson remained held on the five charges listed by the Baton Rouge Police Department. Bond information was not immediately available.
