Officer Killed After Hit By Suspected Drunk Driver

HOUSTON (AP) – A suspected drunk driver slammed into two Houston police officers working traffic control at a construction site early Sunday morning, killing one and seriously injuring the other, authorities said.

The three officers were working traffic control at a construction site on the Katy Freeway eastbound feeder and Highway 6 at around 5:15 a.m. when the accident occurred.

Police said the driver crashed through construction barricades and plowed into the officers, tearing off the door of the driver’s side of a patrol car.

Officers Gary Gryder and Joe Pyland were rushed to Memorial Hermann, where Gryder died. Pyland was listed in critical condition.

A third officer, Milton Sallie, was able to jump out of the way and was unharmed.Police said the driver’s demeanor at the scene led them to believe he was intoxicated. They said at one point, he was laughing at the officers. “There did not appear to be any braking on the part of the driver,” Capt. Bruce Williams said.

The driver was arrested at the scene. No charges have been filed so far against the driver.

The officers were having coffee and talking with each other when “This is a very tragic day for the Houston Police Department. We have lost one of our own. Our prayers go out of course to the families, and we ask for the community to pray for them,” Williams said.

According to the Houston Police Officer’s Union Web site, Gryder was a graduate of Jersey Village High School in the Houston area. He was married with one son and had been on the force 25 years.

Pyland graduated from the Houston police academy in 1980. He is currently assigned to the community services division of the southeast command station. He is married.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)