COLUMBUS, Ga. – A hit-and-run incident resulting in the death of a 31-year-old woman is connected to a soldier who may have connections to Columbus.
The incident occurred in Tallahassee, Florida, back in May. Now that the soldier has been arrested, the victim’s family is speaking out.
“When I heard the news, I couldn’t breathe. I was completely shattered,” says Shandilya Shanita Hall’s mother.
Hall recalls the moment she received the phone call and knew something terrible had happened. “He asked if I was her mother, and I said yes.
Before he could say anything else, I stopped him and asked him to pull over. He then explained to me that my daughter was gone,” Hall recounts.
According to Hall, her daughter Shandilya Smith was walking near a busy intersection when the accident occurred. Even after Smith’s remains were found, the identity of the responsible person remained a mystery.
“From the beginning, I wanted to know who they were and see their face. What kind of person could do something like that and not turn themselves in?” Hall wonders.
The individual who hit Smith and is now facing charges is identified as Manuel Holliday II, though we have been unable to confirm whether he is stationed at Fort Moore.
However, the Tallahassee police have confirmed that he is currently serving in the army.
Once Hall’s family learned that Holliday might be connected to Fort Moore, they posted signs near the base. “How can you serve our country and commit such a senseless act without taking responsibility?” Hall questions.
Holliday is currently in custody at Muscogee County Jail, facing fugitive charges. It has also been confirmed that he is expected to be extradited to Florida in the coming days to face charges related to leaving the scene of an accident causing a death.
For Hall, this brings some closure, but she knows she can never get her daughter back. “She would call everyone every day and send inspirational notes to everybody. She was a loving, caring person with a unique personality,” Hall fondly remembers.
Hall states that she is not done fighting for her daughter and hopes to advocate for stricter laws regarding hit-and-run accidents that result in fatalities.
