Search continues for Columbus hit-and-run suspect, while woman grieves friend killed by same person

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — The Columbus Police Department is still searching for a man who is accused of a hit-and-run incident that left a person injured in May.

18-year-old Jaquavion Daise is accused of a hit-and-run that happened in the 400 block of 1st Avenue on May 28 and while he is wanted by police, Daise was previously involved in a different incident that took the life of 44-year-old Lisa Finan nearly a year earlier.

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On Aug. 20, 2024, Finan died after she was struck by an electric bike, while out jogging along Dillingham Street Bridge. Daise was accused of hitting and killing Finan.

WRBL News 3 spoke with Finan’s best friend, Micki Sanders-Brooks and she says Daise’s latest case opens old wounds as she is still processing the grief of her friend passing away.

“Lisa was one of those people that was like… my person,” Sanders-Brooks expressed. “I had to question when the whole incident happened, initially with Lisa as to ‘why would this happen to a person like that?'”

She added, “we’re almost at a year of the anniversary of the incident, her passing, having to go through the trauma of that and then right at this time you’re like, ‘why does it happen now?’

Daise pleaded guilty of second-degree vehicular homicide and was ultimately sentenced to probation. Sanders-Brooks thought the lighter sentence for Daise would lead to change.

“It’s highly disappointing, I just don’t understand how a person… who could basically get out of a situation like that with so few repercussions. He couldn’t see that as an opportunity to live his life differently to make better choices,” she said.

Now one year later, Daise is wanted again for a hit-and-run incident, but this time for allegedly using a vehicle to intentionally strike a bicyclist.

Sanders-Brooks told WRBL News 3 that she hopes this time the proper consequences will follow.

“It’s not so much about, ‘he needs to pay’ but I need to see that there are some consequences. Where it doesn’t… I don’t want my friend to have had to go through death in the way that she did and it wasn’t something that was just quick, it took a long time. I don’t want that to be in vain,” she expressed.

Now, Sanders-Brooks believes in this current time, the most important thing for her to do is to keep memories of Finan alive.

She is also working with friends to organize a walk/run in Finan’s memory, while petitioning for a city proclamation to honor her legacy.