For Adele Giles, it's a moment she's been waiting to see unfold, for the past 16 months.

"Nobody should have to go through this," said Giles. "There are no words."

On Thursday, 42-year-old Dawann Simmons was sentenced nine to 18 years in prison, in connection to the death of Adele's husband and Fuller Hose Company firefighter Shawn Giles.

In August 2023, Giles was directing traffic at the scene of an accident, when he was struck and killed by a car driven by Simmons.
In November, Simmons pleaded no contest to homicide by vehicle and other charges.

"Nobody wins in these situations," said Fuller Hose Company President Chris Skrekla. "Both sides lost something, but there needed to be a sense of justice."

According to Skrekla, Giles death continues to have a profound impact on the department.

"To this day, there are people still dealing with it and we've recently started to see issues of PTSD in members," said Skrekla. "When you hear the pager go off for a vehicle accident, the person just isn't able to respond because you have images of that day."

Firefighters from several departments attended Simmons' sentencing in support of Giles widow.

During his sentencing, Simmons held back tears as he apologized to Mrs. Giles, and asked for forgiveness.

"I'm taking responsibility because I know I did wrong," said Simmons. "I'm sorry. This is not me."

However, Adele Giles said she didn't believe the apology was sincere.

"I feel like if he was truly sorry, he would have apologized from day one, but he never did,” said Giles. “We're 16 months and 12 days into this, and now I'm hearing you're sorry? To me, it's a little too late."

Adele Giles says she is satisfied with the sentencing.

"I'm happy to know now, that he is in jail,” said Giles. “We can get some justice for Shawn. Hopefully now he can rest in peace because I feel like I'm more at peace."