The police department said the officer was helping with a DWI investigation when he was hit by a driver. That driver was also pronounced dead.
CARROLLTON, Texas — A Carrollton police officer and a driver were killed in a crash on the President George Bush Turnpike on Tuesday night, officials said.
The officer, whose name has not been released, was struck by the passing driver’s vehicle while he was helping with a drunk-driving investigation, police said.
The officer was hit by the driver on the turnpike near Josey Lane at about 10:30 p.m.
Police said the officer was taken to a hospital, where he died. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
The officer’s name and photo were expected to be released around 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Rex Redden, the city’s executive director of public safety who is serving as acting police chief, said the officer was a husband and a father to four children. He had served the Carrollton police department for almost three years, and he was
“This officer served valiantly,” Redden said. “We all know the heavy risk in public safety today, especially out on our highways.”
The name of the driver who died in the crash also has not been released. Redden said they were a Carrollton resident.
The Carrollton officer death is the first line-of-duty death in the city’s history. As his body was taken into the medical examiner’s office, his fellow officers lined up for a somber salute.
The officer’s death marks the second week in a row of tragedy for North Texas police departments.
Dallas police officer Jacob Arellano was killed last week while driving to work. He was struck by a head-on driver on Spur 408 in southwest Dallas. The driver who struck Arellano was going the wrong way on the highway.
Arellano’s funeral mass service was set for 11 a.m. Wednesday at Saint Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Richardson.
This article will be updated when more information is available.
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