INDIANAPOLIS — A Michigan man is facing a felony count of reckless homicide and other charges for his alleged role in a five-vehicle crash on I-465 NB that left one woman dead last year.
Court documents allege that Gavin Mosley, 24, was driving while distracted before crashing into the back of a vehicle on the northbound lanes of I-465 in October of 2023 in an incident that killed one woman and sent another to the hospital.
According to previous reports, troopers with the Indiana State Police were dispatched around 6:38 p.m. on Oct. 5, 2023, to I-465 NB at mile marker 23.1 near W. 79th Street and 82nd Street in response to a serious crash with possible entrapment that had been reported in the area.
Troopers arrived on the scene and determined that a total of five vehicles were involved in the incident. Troopers reportedly observed a grey 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee with damage to its front end that had rear-ended a black Honda. Police also observed a white Ford pickup truck and an orange Nissan that was in front of the pickup truck.
The woman, who was identified as 62-year-old Sara Davis of Indianapolis, was pronounced dead on the scene while three other adults were transported to an area hospital for medical treatment. One of these adults was listed in critical condition at the time.
According to court documents, troopers preliminarily determined that the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which was being operated by 24-year-old Gavin Mosley, lost control and crashed into the four other vehicles that had come to a temporary pause on the interstate in the pouring rain.
According to court documents, police alleged Mosley was driving while distracted by his phone and this was the reason his vehicle crashed into the others.
As part of their investigation into the incident, troopers spoke with Mosley, who told them he decided to go for a drive to “clear his mind” while listening to his music.
Mosley reportedly told troopers that he was in the area for work purposes and continued driving until he crossed over into Indiana. Troopers later found that Mosley was passing through Indiana after spending time in Illinois.
When he was questioned about the moments leading up to the crash, Mosley allegedly told troopers that he turned his head to check for an opening to merge into a new lane and suddenly rear-ended a vehicle in front of him.
Mosley claimed he was traveling at a speed of 60-65 miles per hour at the time and denied being distracted, court documents said.
Police claim Mosley was using his phone up to the final moments before the crash occurred. Court documents stated that investigators reviewed data from Mosley’s cell phone that appeared to show a large amount of activity for the entire hour before the crash.
Court documents said detectives proceeded to apply for a warrant to search Mosley’s phone which allegedly revealed that he had sent 28 messages across three platforms within 27 minutes leading up to the crash. This included 21 text messages, 6 Snapchats and one message via Facebook Messenger.
Over the course of their interview, court documents show that Mosley allegedly admitted to detectives that he was distracted by his phone at the time of the crash and that he was looking at Snapchat and messages when the five-vehicle pileup occurred.
Mosley has been preliminarily charged with a level 5 felony for reckless homicide and three misdemeanor counts of reckless driving.
