The Galveston police sergeant involved in a deadly crash earlier this week has been placed on desk duty while the investigation continues, the department told reporters on Friday.
“As City of Galveston Police Chief, my deepest sympathy goes out to the family of Seyedeh Mandana Moeini who was fatally struck by a Galveston Police unit. The collision occurred late Wednesday at the intersection of Broadway and 14th Street. At the request of the Galveston Police Department the Texas Department of Public Safety is leading the investigation into the fatal crash. Sergeant Christopher McNeil was operating the police vehicle at the time of the crash, he is a 17-year veteran of the department. Sergeant McNeil was treated at UTMB Galveston for non-life-threatening injuries and released. As Chief, I have ordered a full internal investigation of the incident. Sergeant McNeil has been reassigned to desk duty pending investigation,” Chief Doug Balli said in a statement.
According to her family, Moeini, 52, was on her way to work at the University of Texas Medical Branch, where she worked as a medical laboratory technician.
Investigators said McNeil was responding to a call at about 10:30 p.m. about a man with a gun who was making threats at a drug store, when the crash happened on 14th Street and Broadway.
Officials said Moeini was seriously hurt and taken to the hospital. In a later update, officials said she died from her injuries.
Video from the scene shows front-end damage to the Galveston police cruiser. The woman’s sedan was smashed, and it appeared the airbags deployed in both vehicles.
Police said they didn’t know if the officer had his lights and sirens on at the time of the crash, and nearly 24 hours later, they could not answer whether the sergeant did.
Pattsy Trost, who lives next to where the crash happened, said she heard the collision but no sirens. She remembered thinking it was odd.
“I just had gone to the bathroom, and I heard a loud crash, so loud, my kitty ran,” Trost said. “It was 10:54 p.m., and I came out and I saw three cars, and the middle one at the time, I thought, was a police car but no sirens on. No lights flashing. I wondered why there were no sirens, so I figured hopefully nobody was hurt.”
The Texas Department of Public Safety is heading the investigation.
Family members expressed the need for transparency in light of lingering questions surrounding whether the sergeant was following proper protocols.
McNeil sustained minor injuries and was taken to the hospital for evaluation.
Galveston police said the cruiser has in-car cameras, and the officer was wearing a body camera.
