5 killed in North Texas wreck; police chief among dead

Investigators say a traffic accident in North Texas has killed five people including a police chief driving a private car.

The Texas Department of Public Safety says the two-vehicle wreck happened around 10 a.m. Sunday on Highway 34 near Bardwell , 40 miles (64.37 kilometers) south of Dallas.

DPS Staff Sgt. Sara Warren says authorities are trying to determine why a westbound pickup truck veered into an eastbound car driven by 67-year-old Michael Spurgeon Sr. of Bardwell .

A city official in Bardwell said Monday that Spurgeon was the town’s police chief. His volunteer firefighter son, 40-year-old Michael Spurgeon Jr., was in the car and also killed.

The pickup driver, 31-year-old Jose Munoz of Ennis, and two passengers died – an 8-year-old girl and 5-year-old boy. Their names and relationship weren’t immediately released