Police: Investigation reveals car was in race when it hit, killed Lufkin woman on New Year’s Eve

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KTRE) - An ongoing investigation by the Nacogdoches Police Department has determined that the driver who struck and killed a woman on New Year's Eve was allegedly racing another vehicle when the incident occurred.

The drivers of both vehicles have been arrested.

Christopher Tyrone Session, 21, and Jimmy Dewayne Watts, 32, both of Nacogdoches, are both still being held in the Nacogdoches County Jail on second-degree felony racing on highway causing serious bodily injury charges.

No bond amounts have been set for their charges yet.

“The Nacogdoches Police Department has completed the investigation into the fatal traffic accident that occurred in the 2800 block of Park St on December 31st, 2019,” a press release stated. “During the course of the investigation officers discovered there were two vehicles racing westbound on Park St during the collision that caused the death of Kerrie Qualls of Lufkin, Tx.”

The vehicles involved were a red 2016 Hyundai Accent driven by Session and a white 2013 Chrysler driven by Watts, the press release stated.

After speaking to witnesses and following up on leads, NPD investigators determined that Qualls was standing in the street to watch the race when she was struck by the 2013Chrysler driven by Watts.

Nacogdoches PD investigators obtain arrest warrants for the two men. An NPD officer arrested Watts, and a Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrested Session.

The auto-pedestrian incident occurred at about 9 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2019, near the intersection of Crisp Road.

Qualls, 44, was killed on impact, according to a previous story. The justice of the peace who pronounced her dead at the scene ordered an autopsy.

While the Nacogdoches Traffic Unit was investigating at the scene, Park Street was closed to traffic from Northeast Stallings Drive to Tower Road. Sgt. Mack McKee, a spokesman for the Nacogdoches Police Department, said that the members of the traffic unit worked all night on the case.

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Nacogdoches Police investigating fatal auto-pedestrian wreck