ORLANDO, Fla. – A Orange County man is accused of DUI manslaughter in a 2022 crash in Orlando that left the SUV he was driving along Colonial Drive in pieces and his passenger dead.
Davante Wilcoxson, 29, was booked into jail on Saturday, records show.
The crash occurred around 3:15 a.m. Aug. 4, 2022, near the intersection of Colonial Drive and Mills Avenue, police said. According to Wilcoxson’s arrest affidavit, the SUV was traveling east on Colonial Drive at a high rate of speed when it struck the positive grade of Mills and became airborne, rotating clockwise as it landed and continuing over the southern curb of Colonial where it side-swiped a building and hit a concrete utility pole, causing the vehicle to split in half.
The crash ejected Wilcoxson’s passenger — identified as Bakari Jackson — who was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead within the hour, police said.
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A witness to the crash told police he was at the light next to CVS when it happened, reporting he saw Wilcoxson crawl out of the wrecked SUV while Jackson was on the sidewalk not moving. As the witness tried to call 911, he said that Wilcoxson had already begun to put some of his things in the witness’ vehicle, the affidavit states.
At the hospital to meet with Wilcoxson, an officer requested that blood taken from him be held for toxicology, according to the affidavit. Analysis of the SUV’s Electronic Data Recorder otherwise confirmed the vehicle was traveling at a max speed of nearly 85 mph before the brakes were engaged, the document states, adding the speed limit for that stretch of Colonial Drive is 40 mph.
Results from the screening of Wilcoxson’s blood, obtained via warrant, were available early the following month, showing an ethanol content of 0.092 g/dl. According to the affidavit, the result indicated Wilcoxson was driving under the influence at the time of the crash.
Wilcoxson faces charges of DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide and driving without a valid license with death or serious injuries. He’s being held at the Orange County jail on no bond.
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