Left: Shanton Lay (WTMJ). Right: Keiarria Travis (GoFundMe).
A Wisconsin man is behind bars after he hit and killed a woman celebrating her birthday while speeding — and with his license revoked — before driving away, authorities say.
Shanton Lay, 34, stands accused of knowingly operating a motor vehicle with a revoked license while causing death and hit and run resulting in death. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, Milwaukee police officers responded shortly before 12:30 a.m. Oct. 11 for a call about a pedestrian struck in the 7200 block of 76th Street.
Cops arrived at the scene and found Keiarria Travis unconscious with labored breathing. First responders tried to save the victim's life but she died at the scene.
Investigators reviewed video showing the woman crossing the street and then stopping in the median. As she walked into the northbound lanes, a dark-colored vehicle driving at a "high rate of speed" entered the camera frame and slammed into her, the video reportedly shows. The driver continued northbound and did not stop, cops say.
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Around 2:40 p.m. that same day, the suspect flagged down a Milwaukee cop standing outside the District 4 police station. He identified himself and said he was the driver in the fatal accident, per the complaint.
"I f—ing killed somebody," he allegedly said.
Lay said he "panicked" and fled the scene, cops wrote. He told the cops where he parked the car — he had been driving his girlfriend's Mazda. Cops located the vehicle, which had "extreme front end damage."
In an interview with cops, Lay said he had just left his friend's house and was driving to the club Prime Social when he struck a woman who was "simply standing in the road, and he did not see her until it was too late." He admitted to driving away after the crash, but claimed he had not been drinking or doing drugs on the night in question.
"He said that his mind kind of went blank, he was scared, and he drove off," cops wrote.
Lay also allegedly said his license was revoked due to a prior DUI.
Travis was just two days shy of her 26th birthday and had been at the same club where the suspect was headed, police said. A GoFundMe account described Travis as a "vibrant" singer.
"Keiarria was more than just a talented artist — she was a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a dreamer who inspired everyone around her," the tribute said. "With a voice that could move hearts and lyrics drawn from her soul, she was chasing her dream of touching the world through music. Every performance, every note she sang carried the passion and hope of someone destined for greatness."
Lay is at the Milwaukee County Jail on a $30,000 bond. His next court date is scheduled for Monday.
