Conner Smith Issued Misdemeanor Citation After Killing a Woman in Crosswalk Car Accident

Conner Smith was issued a misdemeanor state citation for his role in a fatal Nashville car accident in June, in which he killed a woman walking across a crosswalk.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department issued the citation on Thursday, July 10, his lawyer, Worrick G. Robinson IV, confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE. TMZ was the first to report the news.

Smith, 24, was driving a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck on June 8 when he hit Dorothy Dobbins, 77, while she crossed a street inside a marked crosswalk, Nashville police said in a statement after the accident. Dobbins was later taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she died. 

“Conner is incredibly grateful to the MNPD for their time and efforts to carefully investigate this tragic accident and has continued to cooperate at all times,” Robinson said in a statement to PEOPLE. “His thoughts remain with Ms. Dobbins’ family, and he remains committed to honoring her memory with compassion by supporting efforts to improve pedestrian safety and help prevent future tragedies.”

Smith was charged with a misdemeanor traffic offense – failure to yield resulting in a fatality, a source close to the situation told PEOPLE. As a misdemeanor instead of a felony, the charge underscores a lack of criminal intent, the source noted.

The “Creek Will Rise” singer is “encouraged” by the improvements Nashville has made at the scene of the accident, including adding multiple signs, clearly marking the crosswalk and removing a tree that obstructed the view of the crosswalk, the source said. 

He also respects the Nashville community’s support for Dobbins and her family, and the ongoing push for safety improvements that can prevent another similar tragedy from happening again, the source added.

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After the accident, Nashville police said the “preliminary contributing factor for this crash appears to be Smith failing to yield the right of way to the pedestrian,” and that Smith showed “no signs of impairment.” A source also told PEOPLE that Smith was not under the influence or distracted by his phone at the time of the accident.

The incident happened on the last night of CMA Fest, a four-day country music festival in Nashville. Smith was born and raised in Nashville, and was nominated for New Male Artist of the Year at the 2024 ACM Awards. He is signed to Big Machine Records.