State police make arrest in double fatal hit-and-run

New Mexico State Police have made an arrest in a fatal hit-andrun crash near Gallup last week.

According to a news release, 24-year-old Jessica Ann Copey of Tohlakai was carrying her infant child on foot along Interstate 40 on Wednesday when they were struck and killed by a driver who fled.

State police said they found Copey in the median and her infant in a car seat in the left lane of the highway. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Later that night, a McKinley County Sheriff ’s Office deputy located a commercial vehicle with heavy front-end damage at a nearby truck stop near Jamestown and arrested driver Jagjeet Singh, 24, of Indiana, according to the news release.

Police said they found 34.8 grams of heroin, 5.6 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Singh was charged with two felony counts of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

State police say alcohol does not appear to be a factor.