Driver going 103 mph slams into car leaving Cook Out, killing 21-year-old, NC cops say
A 21-year-old was killed when a driver going 103 mph slammed into her car in North Carolina, police said.
Gabriella Desiree Marie Portillo’s life ended as she was leaving a Cook Out fast-food restaurant on Nov. 27. As Portillo started pulling into the road, a speeding Dodge Challenger hit her driver’s side, according to the Greensboro Police Department.
Portillo died at the scene of the crash. She is remembered for her “beautiful smile” and was from Mount Airy, roughly 65 miles northwest of Greensboro.
“She was a light, and joy to everyone she touched,” according to an obituary on the Moody Funeral Service & Crematory website.
Now, more than a week after the deadly crash, the driver of the Challenger is facing charges. Police in a news release didn’t list attorney information for the man, identified as 39-year-old Jeffery Bernard Ellerbe.
At the time of the crash, police said Ellerbe was traveling more than 100 mph on a 35-mph stretch of road. He was treated at a hospital after the incident.
Portillo’s passenger also was taken to the hospital after the crash, which was reported at about 2 a.m. along West Gate City Boulevard.
As of Dec. 5, Ellerbe was charged with “involuntary manslaughter, possession of a firearm by a felon, speeding at 103 mph in a 35 mph zone, careless and reckless driving, and driving while license revoked,” officials said. He is from Hoffman, about 80 miles south of Greensboro.
This story was originally published December 7, 2022 at 9:25 AM with the headline "Driver going 103 mph slams into car leaving Cook Out, killing 21-year-old, NC cops say."
