By Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has expressed condolences to the family of Pierre Damas Bel, a 20-year-old Wright State University student and Springfield High School graduate who died Monday after being struck by a tractor-trailer on Interstate 70 in Clark County.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Bel parked his car on the shoulder before entering westbound lanes. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The circumstances remain under investigation.
”Fran and I, since we learned about this, are thinking of this young man, Pierre, Pierre’s mom and dad, and family,” DeWine said. “This is a horrible, horrible tragedy.”
DeWine said he supports the Trump administration’s work to secure the southern border and remove criminals from the country. His concern, he said, is the broader impact of mass deportation on Ohio communities.
DeWine pointed to Bel as an example of a young person who came to this country with hopes and dreams. He said Bel graduated from high school in Springfield, was well-liked, participated in Junior ROTC, and had “great dreams about what he could do in this country and what he could contribute to this country.”
City of Springfield is home to more than 60,000 residents, and roughly 10 to 15 thousands of those resident are members of the haitiancommunity. They contribute to the local economy by working in the manufacturing, warehousing, and service industries, according to local reports.
Wittenberg’s soccer program said Bel was an incoming freshman recruit, but was placed on an ICE ankle monitor days before preseason training, preventing him from playing soccer. The program said he then decided to pursue his academic goals at Wright State in Dayton.
On Instagram, Bel wrote that he came to the United States to pursue his education and questioned how he could play college sports while wearing a GPS monitor.
“So now how am I supposed to play a college sport with a GPS monitor on my leg?” he wrote. Local Springfield and Dayton news outlets did confirm this Tuesday that Bel’s family released a statement describing an 8:03 a.m. video call the night before in which he said he was not feeling mentally well because of bullying.
Bel’s immigration circumstances remain central, as the Temporary Protected Status designation for Haitians ended on July 27, 2026, per United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
DeWine said Ohio needs people who want to contribute and have “a lot to give back to this country.”
“So is it really wise to look at someone like that and say, ‘You know, we’re going to kick you out of the country, put an ankle monitor on you?'” DeWine said. “To me, it just doesn’t make any sense.”
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