News, The Big Story, Top Story

October 20, 2022

UPDATE: Oxford Police Formally Charge 18-Year-Old In Fatal Hit-And-Run

Therese Apel

Have you seen Seth Rokitka? Call the Oxford Police Department at 601-232-2400.

THURSDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE, 1:00 p.m.;

The Oxford Police Department announced that 18-year-old Tristan Holland (of Collierville, TN) was formally charged today with Accessory After the Fact and given a bond of $25,000 by a Justice Court Judge.

MONDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE, 4:30 p.m.;

The Oxford Police Department has formally charged 24-year-old Seth Rokitka (Collierville, TN) with one count of Manslaughter, one count of Aggravated DUI, one count of Duties of Driver Involved in Accident Resulting in Death, and one count of Duties of Driver Involved in Accident Resulting in Personal Injury.

He was taken before a Justice Court Judge for his initial appearance and given a bond of $1,000,000.

18-year-old Tristan Holland (Collierville, TN) is still at the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Jail.

Police say there is no timeline for extradition as of now.

The Oxford Police also said they wanted to dispel rumors circulating about the incident.

-Seth Rokitka and Tristan Holland had no prior interactions with either victim prior to striking them with his truck.

-There were no fights or alterations, and their paths did not cross. They were at separate establishments the entire night.

-Rokitka and Holland did not render aid or call 911 even though they knew what they had just done.

(Note: Duties of a Driver Involved in Accident Resulting in Death/Personal Injury is also known as Leaving the Scene of an Accident Involving Death/Personal Injury.)

MONDAY MORNING UPDATE, 9:15 a.m.:

This morning at 8:30 AM, Seth Rokitka was taken into custody. His truck was found wrecked in Marshall County. It has since been recovered and impounded. After he has been formally charged, Oxford police say they will update with further information.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Security camera photo of two suspects in deadly hit and run.

A Madison man died and a woman was hospitalized after being hit by a truck in the parking lot behind City Hall early Sunday, officials said.

Police were able to connect two Collierville Tennessee residents to the death of Walker Fielder, 21, of Madison, and the severe injury of a woman whose name has not been officially released.

Oxford Police Department reports that they received a 911 call around 1:15 a.m. Sunday in reference to people injured in the parking lot behind City Hall. OPD and Oxford Fire Department arrived almost immediately and began tending to the two victims. They were both transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital North Mississippi.

Fielder died of his injuries there. The female victim was eventually transferred to Regional One Medical Center in Memphis with critical injuries.

Police released security camera footage showing the two suspects walking to their vehicle, and then a photo of the vehicle in motion with one of them behind the wheel.

“I cannot let the sun go down on this terrible day without making a statement,” posted Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill on Facebook.

She then addressed some of the vagueness in the release.

“Information will be provided to the public as it is appropriate to do so. As this is an ongoing investigation, information may not be as readily available as some would hope,” she wrote. “But I promise you that these families and finding justice for these students are our top priorities and the case will be handled with as much compassion as possible for those involved.”

A break in the case came late Sunday night.

“Since the tragedy that occurred early this morning, our investigators have worked non-stop on identifying two suspects involved in the death of Walker Fielder and the injury of a female Ole Miss student,” stated the follow-up release from OPD. “We have identified the suspects as Seth Rokitka and Tristan Holland, both of Collierville, TN.”

The release was published just moments after Holland was arrested in Shelby County. Authorities say he will be extradited to Oxford.

Police are now actively looking for Rokitka, who drives a gray Toyota Tundra with Tennessee tag #0J76U6.

“I am writing to you tonight as a Mother with a broken heart for these families, for their precious friends, for their sorority sisters and fraternity brothers, for their hometowns, and for our community as we all weather another terrible storm,” wrote Tannehill. “I am writing to ask you for your prayers for Walker’s Mom and Dad and Sister as they mourn the loss of this young man who was handsome and kind and talented and loved by so many. Pray for peace and comfort for them that only comes from our Heavenly Father. I am asking you to pray for complete healing for the female student. Please pray for wisdom for her doctors and nurses. Please pray that her injuries and her heart would heal. The physical and emotional pain these families are experiencing is unimaginable.”

If anyone has information on Seth Rokitka’s location, they are to contact the Oxford Police Department at 662-232-2400 or CrimeStoppers at 662-234-8799.