A 16-year-old high school football player died in a hit-and-run incident in Valdosta, Georgia, while attempting to aid an injured dog. The incident occurred on December 9, 2023, in the 3900 block of Inner Perimeter Road.

According to the Valdosta Police Department, Samuel Johnson Jr. was walking along the road when he spotted the dog. 

As he was attending to the animal, he was struck by a vehicle, a dark-colored Dodge Charger, model years 2011 to 2014. The driver of the vehicle did not stop and fled the scene. 

A passerby stopped to check on the dog, which had died, and discovered Johnson lying in the grass median alongside another injured dog. She immediately contacted emergency services and responding officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services declared Johnson dead at the scene. 

On Dec 11, 2023, after police released a description of the vehicle involved in the incident, the driver who fled the scene of the accident showed up at police headquarters and turned himself in. Based on the information the driver provided, officers located the vehicle involved in the accident. Police have not yet revealed whether an arrest has been made.

Johnson, a Valdosta High School student and football player, was remembered by his team, the Wildcats, in an Instagram post expressing heartbreak and devastation over the loss. 

A memorial service for Johnson was held on Sunday, December 10, 2023, at Perimeter Road Baptist Church, with burial in a cemetery in Lowndes County.