Gov. DeWine ‘This is a horrible, horrible tragedy’

(9-1-26) Gov. Mike DeWine expressed grief and disapproval today following the alleged suicide of 20-year-old Wright State University student Pierre Damas Bel.

DeWine calls death of Springfield Haitian student 'horrible tragedy' https://t.co/enZowKSwSC

— Enquirer (@Enquirer) September 1, 2026

DeWine told reporters at the Ohio Statehouse –

“This is a horrible, horrible tragedy.”

On Monday advocates said that Bel apparently threw himself in front of a semi-truck on Interstate 70 out of anguish after being fitted with an ICE ankle monitor.

🇭🇹 A 20-year-old Haitian immigrant and recent Springfield, Ohio, high school graduate has died after being struck by a semi on I-70, with members of the local Haitian community describing his death as a suicide following mounting pressure from ICE, WHIO TV reports.

Pierre Damas… pic.twitter.com/7633zFPoJo

— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) September 1, 2026