HOUSTON — A man was killed Sunday in a crash involving an HPD unit, according to investigators.
Houston police said the crash was reported around noon in the 4600 block of N. Shepherd Drive near Curtin Street.
According to investigators, the HPD unit was northbound on Shepherd when another vehicle turned in front of the unit, causing the collision.
The driver of the other vehicle was pronounced dead and the officer was taken to an area hospital with minor injuries.
Family reaction
Family members said the victim left for church Sunday morning and never returned.
“All I know is he left for church this morning and never made it home,” Kevin Payne said.
Payne said his father, Charles, was the one who died in the crash.
Surveillance video shows the crash. In the video, you see Payne's Cadillac attempting to turn off Shepherd when it's struck by an HPD SUV.
Here's the update that was provided at the scene:
Witness accounts
Anthony Jones works at a carwash across the street from where the crash happened. He said he saw the impact and called 911.
"It was pretty loud. As I said, I was standing right here,” Jones said.
Jones said that in his experience, cars in the opposing turn lane at the crash site could have contributed to the collision.
“If you have a car in that turning lane, turning to the left, and you’re turning to the left as well in the opposite lane, you can’t see the oncoming traffic,” Jones said.
Those who are often in the area said something needs to be done about the dangerous stretch of road.
“There’s needs to a light or something there because there’s always near-crashes or crashes right there. I mean, there’s never going to be a time where ... there’s no debris in the road,” Jones said.
Investigation
The Harris County District Attorney's Office said it will be conducting its own investigation to determine if charges are warranted. HPD will investigate as well.
The officer involved in the crash was placed on administrative leave pending the investigations.