Family of child killed in Nixa high-speed chase sues Christian County Sheriff's Office
Nearly two years after a Nixa teen's Dodge Charger reportedly collided with a family's minivan as he was being pursued by authorities, the Christian County Sheriff's Office is facing a negligence lawsuit for the fatal incident.
Zachary Fargo, who was 16 at time of the crash, was charged with second-degree felony murder after allegedly driving 117 mph as he fled from law enforcement on July 13, 2022, on Highway 160 at Northview, running a red light, and crashing into the minivan and killing 9-year-old Alex Finley and severely injuring others in the vehicle.
The child's family filed a lawsuit Monday claiming the Christian County Sheriff's Office was negligent by continuing a high-speed pursuit on busy roads, a chase that reportedly lasted a total of 16 minutes and stretched from Ozark to Nixa, through residential areas and school zones.
Fargo was reportedly pursued for driving erratically and proceeded to speed away from Christian County authorities, according to a police report. Two minutes before the collision, the lawsuit states that Deputy Bradshaw (no first name is included in the court filing) wanted to stop pursuing Fargo due to the non-violent nature of his offense but was advised to continue by Sheriff Brad Cole.
Cole was also in pursuit, according to the lawsuit, and allegedly requested a Dodge Charger amid the chase and said 'Let me to him, if you're not going to get him.'"
The lawsuit said the pursuit of Fargo was against a Christian County policy that states: "Pursuits should be discontinued whenever the totality of objective circumstances known or which reasonably ought to be known to the deputy or supervisor during the pursuit indicates that the present risk of continuing the pursuit reasonably appears to outweigh the risk resulting from the suspect's escape."
Finley's family seeks a jury trial in Missouri civil court against the sheriff's office, which has opted to not comment on the case due to pending litigation.
Ryan Collingwood covers a wide range of topics for the News-Leader with an emphasis on public safety. He can be reached by phone at 417-258-8174 and email at rcollingwood@news-leader.com. You can also follow Ryan on social media at X.com/rwcollingwood
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Family of child killed in Nixa high-speed chase sues sheriff's office
