November 2, 2021 – On April 14, 2021, the Nevada County District Attorney’s Office received a report from the Truckee Police Department of a fatal injury to a pedestrian.
According to the report, the victim was Justin ‘Shuba’ Ardagh, age 25. The report stated that the victim and a group of friends were standing in the roadway near the intersection of Bridge and Jibboom Streets at approximately 10:45 PM. According to witnesses at the scene, a mutual friend of those in the group, 32-year-old Stephen Lally of Truckee, drove up to the group and stopped. Mr. Lally spoke for a moment and then drove away. Unbeknownst to Mr. Lally, Mr. Ardagh sat for a moment on the rear trunk lid of Mr. Lally’s vehicle. When Mr. Lally drove off, Mr. Ardagh was violently thrown from the rear of the vehicle, causing Mr. Ardagh to strike his head on the ground. Mr. Ardagh never recovered from his fatal injuries.
Mr. Lally was contacted and eventually cooperated with law enforcement.
Charges against Mr. Lally submitted for consideration to the Nevada County District Attorney’s Office by the Truckee Police Department included driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident involving serious injuries.
After review of the evidence, interviews of all relevant witnesses, and consistent with the wishes of the victim’s father, charges will not be filed based on an insufficiency of the evidence and in the interest of justice. The District Attorney’s Office is appreciative of the thorough investigation by the Truckee Police Department and our thoughts are with Shuba’s family during this difficult time.