CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — New details have been released about a crash that left a mother and a son dead after they were hit by a Hickory police officer who was chasing a suspect on a motorcycle.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol shared the report on Tuesday, which is now updated after blood results were taken from Cynthia Lail, the woman who died in the crash.
Lail's blood results showed a positive sign of drugs in her system, according to the report. The drugs Lail tested positive for are not specified in the report. In the initial report released in September, NC SHP officials do not indicate that Lail was suspected of or tested for drugs in her system. However, the report released Tuesday does say that Lail was suspected of being impaired.
Lail and her 12-year-old son Michael died after being struck by a Hickory police car driven by former officer Mohamed Shamseldin during a pursuit on Sept. 8, 2023.
Shamseldin tried to stop a motorcycle rider for careless and reckless driving. The motorcyclist, identified as 24-year-old Chanceler Timothy Johnson, refused to stop and Shamseldin initiated a chase, according to investigators.
The officer wrecked into Lail at the intersection of Highway 70 SW and 13th Street. Lail was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Michael died the next day from his injuries.
The report states Shamseldin was traveling at 100 mph when he slammed into Lail, who was traveling at 10 mph.
Shamseldin and a Hickory Police Department applicant in the car with him were treated for minor injuries. His employment with Hickory police ended on Oct. 4, 2023, a department spokesperson said.
Johnson surrendered to police after being on the run nearly two weeks. He was charged with two counts of felony elude arrest in a motor vehicle causing death. Johnson was released on bond.
A Department of Justice report published by the Police Executive Research Forum recommends that "pursuits should take place only when two very specific standards are met: 1) A violent crime has been committed and 2) the suspect poses an imminent threat to commit another violent crime." The report recommends policies that discourage or prohibit pursuits if the suspect is riding a motorcycle.
A 2022 WCNC Charlotte investigation found that at least 4,200 innocent bystanders alone have died during police pursuits over the last 40 years.