LSU Student and Firefighter Fiancé Killed in Suspected DUI Crash Just Steps From Campus

A young couple who had been building a future together lost their lives in a devastating crash near Louisiana State University. The 21-year-old college student and her fiancé, a volunteer firefighter, were walking along a road when a vehicle allegedly veered off the roadway and struck them.

Leah Fonte, a senior at Louisiana State University, and her fiancé, Shane Hirstius, both 21, were identified as the victims of the fatal crash in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on October 18, 2026.

According to police, the couple was walking along the right shoulder of Nicholson Drive at approximately 2:40 a.m. when a vehicle struck them. Fonte died at the scene, while Hirstius was rushed to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Authorities arrested 20-year-old Mia Camille Dawson in connection with the incident. She faces multiple charges, including operating a vehicle while impaired, reckless operation, hit-and-run, vehicular homicide and vehicular negligent injuring.

Police said the investigation remains ongoing, and the allegations will be addressed through the legal process.

Fonte was studying biological sciences at LSU and had been pursuing her future while preparing for the next chapter of her life with Hirstius. The university expressed condolences to her family and loved ones following her death.

Hirstius served as a volunteer firefighter with the River Ridge Volunteer Fire Department. In a tribute, the department remembered him as a compassionate person with a generous heart who consistently devoted himself to helping others.

The couple, described as high school sweethearts, had recently become engaged. Their deaths have left their families, friends and communities mourning two young lives cut short just as they were preparing to begin their life together.

Source:  foxnews