Girlfriend of Walmart police shooting victim John Crawford is killed in mysterious car crash, the driver dies too

- January 03, 2015

By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor-in-chief, Cleveland Urban News.Com, and the Kathy Wray Coleman Online News Blog.com, Ohio's most read digital Black newspaper and newspaper blog. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Kathy Wray Coleman is a community activist, educator and 21-year investigative journalist who trained at the Call and Post Newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio for 17 years. (www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com)

DAYTON, Ohio-The girlfriend of John Crawford III, the unarmed Black man gunned down by police last summer at a Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio for grabbing an air soft toy gun from a store shelf, mysteriously died New Year's day in a high speed car crash.

Tasha Thomas (pictured above with Crawford, 22, and below in a solo photo), 26, was a passenger in the car driven by thirty-year-old Frederick Bailey of Dayton, who authorities say hit a pole on a city street around 3 pm, and at a speed of 90 - 100 MPH.

Bailey also died at the scene.

Beavercreek is a suburb of Dayton, which is where the tragic accident occurred.

At least in Ohio, Crawford's name became synonymous with those of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice, all high profile cases of arbitrary police killings of unarmed Black men or boys that have caused racial unrest and protests against police brutality.

After Crawford was killed, Thomas was questioned by police, and allegedly harassed, police allegedly accusing her of knowing he had a firearm when in fact he had none.

Crawford was not wanted by the law.

The crash that killed Thomas is currently under investigation, police said.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins

Greater Cleveland community activists, and other activists, and some athletes, have expressed support for Crawford, and want justice in his case, including Cleveland Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins, who wore a shirt demanding justice for Crawford at the game last month between the Browns and the Bengals. (www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com)