HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A Houston police officer was on his way to a call Thursday morning when he struck and killed a pedestrian in the East Aldine area, according to investigators. This is the second fatal auto-pedestrian crash involving an HPD officer in the last week.
READ MORE: HPD officer hits and kills pedestrian on I-10 East Freeway near Wayside, police say
Cpt. Anthony McConnell with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the officer was traveling in the westbound middle lane of Aldine Bender Road near Picton when he struck a pedestrian around midnight.
Sean Teare, chief of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office Vehicular Crimes Division, said the officer was responding to a non-urgent call, so he was not using his lights and sirens in an area that’s not well-lit. Investigators do not believe speed was a factor.
The officer reportedly turned around and performed life-saving measures on the victim, but was unsuccessful.
“These cases are incredibly tragic for everyone involved, the officer included,” said Teare. “We’ve got to go through and determine the exact speed that was involved. The real lighting, what the line of sight was, and a number of different things that are going to go into this.”
The victim was described as a Black man, but his identity has not been determined.
HPD Asst. Chief Patricia Cantu said the officer, who has been with the department for about two years, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Houston Police Department Internal Affairs, and Harris County District Attorney’s Office are all investigating the crash.
Investigators will return to the area on Thursday to gather surveillance video and speak to individuals who may have witnessed the crash. At this time, it is unclear if any charges will be filed.
For more on this story, follow Rosie Nguyen on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Copyright © 2023 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)