![[09-23-25] Man Arrested on DUI Manslaughter Charge After Bicyclist Killed in Gulfport Hit-And-Run Crash](https://www.727injury.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/09-23-25-Man-Arrested-on-DUI-Manslaughter-Charge-After-Bicyclist-Killed-in-Gulfport-Hit-And-Run-Cra.jpg)
GULFPORT – A woman was killed Saturday night after being struck by a vehicle while riding her bicycle, according to Gulfport Police.
At approximately 10:08 p.m. on September 20, 2025, Gulfport Police Officers and Gulfport Fire Department Station 17 crews responded to 49th Street S and Tangerine Avenue for reports of a bicyclist hit by a vehicle. Officers found a woman with fatal injuries, and she was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Witnesses reported the woman was initially struck in the area of 9th Avenue S and 49th Street. She remained on the vehicle as it continued south for more than a half-mile before falling off near Tangerine Avenue S/18th Avenue S.
The crash prompted a closure of 49th Street S from 9th Avenue S to 18th Avenue S. Investigators later located a white 2021 Nissan Altima with significant damage near a building at 2222 49th Street, extending the crime scene to about a mile in length. According to the arrest affidavit, Rigby was found to have the vehicle keys in his pocket, and video surveillance captured him exiting the driver’s seat of the Nissan.
Deputies from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Major Investigation Team responded to assist with the investigation.
According to arrest records, 22-year-old Xavier Omar Rigby was taken into custody at about 4 a.m. Sunday. After the St. Petersburg Police Department located him, he was booked into the Pinellas County Jail and faces charges of leaving the scene of a crash involving death, vehicular homicide, leaving the scene, and DUI manslaughter.
According to M.A.I.T. investigators, Rigby was driving on 49th Street approaching 10th Avenue South at a high speed. At the same time, 38-year-old Kjersten Aileen-Hermance Strang was riding her light blue Velotric E-bike in the curb lane south on 49th Street. It is noted that the e-bike was equipped with a functioning headlight.
Strang was struck and landed on the windshield of the vehicle, where she remained until she was dislodged approximately eight blocks later.
This investigation remains active.
Source : IONTB
