DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) - Authorities say a western Kansas police officer was not using lights and sirens when he crashed his patrol vehicle into a car while responding to an emergency call and killed the driver.
The Wichita Eagle reports Cpl. Shane Harris was responding to a break-in call Saturday morning when 26-year-old Vanessa Guzman drove into the path of the patrol vehicle in Dodge City. The resulting collision rolled her car over a guardrail. She was ejected as the car rolled and died of her injuries. Harris was treated for a minor injury.
The Dodge City Police Department said Tuesday in an update on the case that the officers responding to the original break-in report downgraded the emergency response from lights and sirens due to information they received while en route.
The department is conducting an internal investigation. Police expressed condolences to Guzman’s family and friends in a news release.
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