Charleston police on Monday arrested a 32-year-old Summerville man as a second suspect in an April 28 hit-and-run downtown accident that killed two Simpsonville residents.
Last week, they arrested another man believed to be driving a different vehicle in the double fatality near the on-ramp to the Arthur Ravenel Bridge on Morrison Drive.
“As I mentioned last week, we will continue to pursue justice for Lizzy [Zito] and Arianna [Gamber],” Charleston Police Chief Chito Walker said today in a statement. “Our investigators have dedicated countless hours to this case and are fully committed to seeing it through to the end.
“The tragedy of this case deepens with the realization that the decisions of two individuals have forever altered the lives of these two families. What might seem improbable to some is a heartbreaking reality for these families. ”
On Monday, police arrested Seth Alan Gilbert William Carlson, 32, of Summerville, on two counts of reckless vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. He is in the Al Cannon Detention Center pending a bond hearing, police said.
An initial investigation led to the arrest last week of Max David Gentilin, 25, of Charleston, after a citizen called authorities at 8:32 a.m. to report seeing two women unresponsive off the roadway. Gentilin is charged with two counts of leaving the scene of an accident causing death. He has been released on bond, police said
Police today said surveillance footage obtained from the S.C. State Ports Authority revealed the victims apparently were first struck at 1:12 a.m. April 28 by a Chevrolet truck allegedly driven by Carlson after he drove off the roadway as the victims walked near the Morrison Drive bike lane. About 30 minutes later, they were thought to have been struck again by an Acura car allegedly driven by Gentilin after he ran off the road and over a curb.
The truck was located later, abandoned in West Ashley after Carlson was thought to have “crashed into a ditch and fled on foot,” a police statement said.
Police said the investigation is ongoing, and additional charges are expected. Anyone with more information that might help is asked to contact the Charleston Police Department Traffic Unit at (843) 965-4084 or contact Crime Stoppers of the Lowcountry at (843) 554-1111.
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