Charleston police have arrested a second driver in connection with the fatal hit-and-run that killed 20-year-olds Arianna Gamber and Lizzy Zito along Morrison Drive on April 28.
The driver, Seth Alan Gilbert William Carlson of Summerville, was arrested on May 6, according to a statement from the Charleston Police Department.
An investigation led police to believe the 32-year-old man hit the two women at 1:12 a.m., before fleeing the scene.
About 30 minutes later, Max David Gentilin drove along the same stretch of road, lost control of his car, traveled onto the curb and ran into the women again before driving off and abandoning his vehicle nearby, police said.
The victims were not found until 8:32 a.m.
Surveillance footage from the S.C. Ports Authority revealed Carlson struck the victims when he drove off the roadway as they walked near the bike lane on Morrison Drive, police say.
Carlson’s Chevrolet truck was located abandoned in West Ashley after he crashed into a ditch and fled on foot, according to police.
Carlson is charged with two counts of reckless vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. The case is still under investigation. More charges are possible.
Gentilin’s car was damaged in the collision, and his front passenger-side tire was flattened, according to arrest warrant affidavits. But hair and blood from the victims was only found along the underside of his car, according to arrest warrant affidavits.
Gentilin was arrested and charged with two counts of hit-and-run with death on May 1. He was granted bond and released from jail on May 2.
Both women who were looking forward to celebrating their 21st birthdays later in May.
Zito was a psychology major at the College of Charleston who was set to graduate in May. She loved animals and decided to work as a veterinary technician at an animal clinic near her hometown of Simpsonville while finishing her degree online.
She and Gamber, also from Simpsonville, were visiting a friend in Charleston over the weekend.
“We will continue to pursue justice for Lizzy and Arianna,” Police Chief Chito Walker said in a May 6 statement. “The tragedy of this case deepens with the realization that the decisions of two individuals have forever altered the lives of these two families.”
Gentilin’s defense attorney, Chris Adams, told The Post and Courier he wishes police would have fully investigated prior to arresting his client.
“While we appreciate the police department continuing to investigate the case, we really wish they had done the full investigation before they arrested Max,” Adams said. “Even though Max is presumed innocent, it’s a very difficult situation to be arrested and publicly accused. We look forward to the day the charges are officially dropped against Max.”
The incident calls into question the lack of pedestrian-friendly infrastructure along the four-lane roadway that hosts an apartment complex and office buildings on its east side and an elementary school and public housing on its west side.
