‘Have to be held accountable’: Family of TSU football player killed in hit-and-run hires law firm to investigate son’s death

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — It’s been a month since a car hit 20-year-old Chazan Page and didn’t stop. Now, his family has hired a law firm to launch their own investigation.

“There has been no arrest and the family and the community need answers,” explained Chris Stewart, one of the attorneys now helping the Page family.

According to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD), the crash happened around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 14 along Gallatin Pike near Marion Avenue.

Officials said a preliminary investigation indicates that Chazan, of Nashville, was crossing Gallatin Pike when he was struck by what was believed to be either a red sedan or a small SUV.

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“I’m thinking it was just a hit — I had no idea it was to this extent until those doctors called us into that room and told us that he didn’t make it, and that [was] just the frustrating part,” said Chazan’s mother, Lawanda Page. Holding back tears, she added: “Just to hear the words, ‘He’s not here. He’s gone.'”

It’s been a month and Chazan’s mother is still heartbroken. Early on in the investigation, police said Chazan was crossing Gallatin Pike when he was hit by a red sedan while trying to protect his girlfriend from the car. At the time, neighbors told News 2 they remembered hearing the sound of cars speeding through the area early that morning.

“It’s very frustrating. When you see other, similar incidents that have happened and the cases and people have been charged or something, but this one I don’t know where they are,” Lawanda said. “We hear from Tennessee State football players asking if there is any closure to this yet, and we don’t know what to tell these kids.”

Chazan was a senior at Tennessee State University when he was killed. The Nashville native attended Lipscomb Academy and went on to serve as an offensive lineman for the TSU Tigers.

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“We know that someone was driving and just to drive and run somebody over and keep going, I really have a problem with that, and to find out the car was ditched somewhere. We just want justice and to put this case to rest,” Lawanda explained.

Less than 24 hours after the deadly crash, MNPD released a photo of the suspect’s vehicle found. The red Ford Edge was found in the backyard of a home. At the time, detectives were looking to identify the driver.

“The owner’s denying they were driving. Well, our question is, did they report the car stolen? If they didn’t report it stolen, then that’s a red flag,” explained Stewart. “Holding somebody accountable for this is going to be an example for all of these college students across the entire state that when you speed and drunk drive, which we assume this person was doing, you have to be held accountable.”

Metro Police told News 2 that since releasing the photo of the suspect’s vehicle, investigators have spoken to the registered owner. However, right now police have no record of the car being reported stolen. Police have been working to prove whether or not the owner was behind the wheel at the time of the crash.

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“We are continuing to have faith in the police department that they’re going to find who was driving and hold them accountable, but action definitely needs to be taken and we’re hoping that it is still a priority for the police department to get this young man justice because there is none right now,” Stewart said.

The law firm is now conducting its own investigation, by reaching out to witnesses and searching for new evidence.

Metro Police said the case is still very open and active, as investigators work to gather evidence to make a case and charge the right person. They encourage any witnesses or anyone who has information about this crime to reach out to Crime Stoppers at 615-74-CRIME.

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