Manslaughter Charges Filed In Crash That Killed 2 Oakton High Girls

FAIRFAX, VA — A grand jury indicted 18-year-old Usman Shadid on manslaughter charges in connection with the deaths of two Oakton High School students in June, authorities announced Thursday.

Shadid was identified as the driver of a white BMW that struck three Oakton High girls who had just crossed the Five Oaks Road and Blake Lane intersection Fairfax, authorities said.

The grand jury indicted Shadid on two counts of involuntary manslaughter. Each charge is a felony and each carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano announced the indictment in a news release on Thursday morning.

"This is a tragic incident that could have been avoided, and our hearts break for the families of these two young girls," Descano said, in a release. "There are no winners in this situation. I am committed to working toward accountability in a manner that promotes healing for the families involved and our wider community."

Related: Crash Kills 2 Oakton High School Students, Injures Third: Police

On June 7, three girls walking along Blake Lane were struck by a BMW after it crashed into a Toyota 4Runner that was turning left onto Five Oaks Road, authorities said. The SUV had just started its turn after letting the girls cross the street when the BMW crashed into its side at a high rate of speed.

Two of the girls died from their injuries, and the third remains in the hospital recovering from non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.

In the weeks following the crash, Fairfax County police stepped up speeding enforcement along the Blake Lane corridor.

Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik is working to secure approval from neighborhoods along the road to increase the fines for speeding by $200.

"We are working on our pilot program for school safety zones and being able to have speed cameras there," Palchik told Patch earlier this month. "We have very limited ability that was given by the state a few years ago to do speed cameras in school safety zones and construction zones only."

Related: 2 Dead, 2 Injured: Blake Lane Corridor Crashes Raise Safety Concerns

Last year, the city of Fairfax instituted a similar program on Main Street near W.T. Woodson High School and on Jermantown Road near Katherine Johnson Middle School.

Palchik asked county staff to see what could be learned from the city's program and evaluate the area around Oakton High School and Mosaic Elementary to see if they could be included as part of the county's pilot program.

To start a community dialogue on safety concerns relating to the Blake Lane Corridor, Palchik scheduled a virtual meeting from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday. The meeting will be livestreamed on Palchik's Facebook page and people can register ahead of time for the Zoom meeting. Questions or comments can be emailed.