JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After several long-suffering months for one Jacksonville family, they said they finally have a sense of closure following an arrest made earlier today in the hit-and-run death of Gavin Carter.
The family told Action News Jax they had to wait nine months for this moment. They also want the suspect to know that when he fled the scene, he caused the family even more suffering.
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“Instead of doing the right thing, you did the wrong thing. So, it went from possibly being just an accident to me feeling like you have no soul.”
That was the message from Gavin Carter’s mother Dawn.
Nearly ten months after her son was killed on I-10 near McDuff Avenue, police arrested Dante Lawrence for Carter’s death.
“The last thing he was doing was the right thing. He always did the right thing,” Dawn said.
This all began when a man crashed into a barrier wall on I-10 East and overturned his car. Carter stopped to help - but state troopers said a car hit and killed him.
They said the driver, now revealed as Lawrence, got out of his car and ran. The Carter family said his choice doubled their pain.
“He didn’t have to drive us through this. He could’ve just stayed there and taken accountability for what he did,” said Gavin’s grandmother, Cynthia Carter Ross.
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The family told us that Gavin was on his way home with his fiancé of six years who made it out alive.
“I don’t get my son back. My mother doesn’t get her grandson back. There are so many things that he took from us. No amount of time that this boy could spend in jail will bring my kid back,” said Dawn.
We asked FHP why it took so long to make an arrest. They explained that physical evidence like prints, DNA, and even blood samples took time to come back... But when it did, it led them to Lawrence.
“We had to let FHP do their job, and they did their job. They did everything in their power to make sure they got justice for Gavin. They dotted all their I’s and crossed all their T’s to make sure it was done right. It was hard,” Dawn said.
Now, Carter has a message for everyone else on the road.
“If you see somebody on the side of the road, slow down, get over. You know, this could’ve been prevented in so many ways,” Dawn said.
The family told me they’re celebrating Gavin’s sister’s birthday Friday, and now they’re also celebrating Gavin’s justice.
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