Police ID Officer Killed In Car Crash By Alleged Drunk Driver
El Paso Police are mourning the death of one of their own after the officer was killed in an early morning crash on Wednesday in East El Paso.
Officer Karl McDonough, a four-year veteran of the force, died at the scene. He leaves behind a wife and three children ages 21, 17, and 3.
Police said the crash happened just before 1 a.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Zaragoza Rd. and Saul Kleinfeld Dr.
Alejandro Fierro, 19, of the 12400 block of Paseo Blanco, was driving a 2004 Mercedes eastbound on the 1700 block of Saul Kleinfeld when, at the same time, an El Paso Police Department marked police vehicle was being driven by Officer Ricardo Lopez southbound on the 1700 block of Zaragoza with McDonough as the passenger.
The front of the Mercedes hit the side of the car where McDonough was seated.
Officer Lopez was transported to University Medical Center for treatment of serious injuries. Fierro was treated and released at Del Sol Medical Center for what are believed to be minor injuries.
Police said they believe Fierro was intoxicated at the time of the crash and failed to yield the right of way at a red light, causing the crash.
Fierro has been arrested and charged with one count of Intoxication Manslaughter and one count of Intoxication Assault. Fierro has been booked in to the El Paso County Detention Facility on a total bond of $50,000 ($25,000 per charge).
El Paso Police spokesman Det. Mike Baranyay said anybody can be killed by drunk driving.
“Police officers aren’t exempt from that,” Baranyay said. “We’re not immune, we’re out here driving the same roads that you are and it was just a matter of time til this happened.”
Baranyay reiterated the depth of the tragedy.
“We can’t bring this officer back,” he said. “We can’t bring the (person) that died on the freeway back.So we hope that the public will take heed to this and help us move on and educate one another and not drink and drive. Nobody thinks it’s going to happen to them, but the unfortunate reality is that it can and it will if you continue to do it.”
ABC-7 Reporter Maria Garcia contributed to this report.
