Pedestrian struck, killed by Houston police officer

Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Dec. 4, 2008, 3:40

A Houston Police officer killed a man believed to be homeless as he was walking on an isolated stretch of Galveston Road Wednesday night.

Officer Ismael Perez was searching for a spot to complete his paperwork after leaving the scene of a commercial accident about 8:30 p.m. when he struck the man in the southbound lanes of Galveston near Brookglen, police said.

"He saw a shopping cart but did not see the man in the roadway,'' said Houston Police Department Sgt. Kevin O'Brien.

The man, who police said may have been collecting cans, was killed on impact. He is thought to between 30 and 40 and possibly Hispanic. Because they couldn't find any identification on him, HPD investigators believe he may be homeless.

A streetlight near the accident was not working Wednesday night.

The incident is being investigated by HPD's accident division and the Harris County District Attorney's Office, O'Brien said.

Perez, 42, is assigned to their Eastside Patrol division and was sworn into the department in July 1994.

Spray paint markings left behind by the HPD accident investigators traced Perez's attempts to swerve away from a shopping cart left in the road. The shopping cart, taken from a Fiesta supermarket, was filled with empty beer cans and other refuse. On Thursday, it had been pushed onto the sidewalk.