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Karl R. McDonough, Patrolman
Born: April 5, 1969
End of Watch: October 13, 2010 |
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EL PASO, Texas -- El Paso police said a 19-year-old man who was allegedly drinking and driving ran a red light and crashed into a police cruiser, killing an officer.
The officer has been identified as Karl McDonough, a four-year veteran of the force. He was a husband and father.
"We lost a guy and we can't get him back and it appears to have been a drunk driver. It seems like 50 percent on average of our fatal crashes are attributed to alcohol consumption," said Detective Mike Baranyay with the El Paso Police Department.
Alejandro Fierro, 19, was arrested and booked on one count of intoxicated manslaughter and one count of intoxicated assault.
The crash happened just before 1 a.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Saul Kleinfeld Drive and Zaragoza Road.
Police officials said the officers were ironically, responding to a call of a suspected drunk driver near George Dieter Drive and Pendale Drive.
The police cruiser was traveling southbound on Zaragoza and it was not using its lights and sirens because the call was not an emergency.
Police said a Mercedes-Benz was driving eastbound on Saul Kleinfeld when he allegedly ran the red light and the two cars met collided in the intersection. The impact was so severe the police cruiser smashed against a light pole.
"Looking at the damage to that vehicle, I can't imagine a person surviving the impact and the damage to the passenger where the officer was seated," said Baranyay.
McDonough died at the scene. The driver of the patrol unit, Officer Ricardo Lopez, was sent to the hospital with broken bones. He's in stable condition and expected to recover.
Fierro was treated and released at Del Sol Medical Center.
The department dispatched its crisis management team to help officers cope.
"The chief of police, Greg Allen was out at the scene. He attended every part of this tragedy. He was out at the scene with the officers when he was done he ended up at the regional command and had a meeting with the officers and talking with the officers," said Baranyay.
The department hopes the community can take this tragedy as a lesson.
"Hopefully the public will learn from our loss and that other's family's loss and all the other losses we've had this year," said Baranyay.
Source: KFOX News Reporter Monica Balderrama
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