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Jan 3, 2008 2:03 pm US/Eastern
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Investigation Into Fatal Hit-And-Run Continues
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
The investigation into who struck and killed Officer Courtney Brooks continues, but police did recover a damaged SUV they say was involved.
Suzanne Collins explains people clearly saw the license tag, but police need a witness who also saw the driver.
Police found the smashed up Ford Explorer and traced the owner. But who actually was driving the car? That's the big question.
Maryland Transportation Authority Police Officer Courtney Brooks was struck and killed while re-routing trucks on I-95 New Year's Eve. Early Tuesday, police found the SUV they say was involved at a Cecil County truck stop. They checked MVA records and learned the owner is Kerri King of Elkton. That's when they also found she's wanted on an entirely different traffic charge.
"It was determined that Kerri King had an outstanding warrant for DUI from an arrest made by this agency in September of this year, (that is) September of 2007," said Maryland Transportation Authority Police Chief Marcus Brown.
Police say they still haven't charged anyone with the officer's death and don't yet know who was behind the wheel, but they arrested King on the other outstanding warrant.
Eyewitness News was there when the 35-year-old Elkton resident was taken to the Cecil County Courthouse. Bail was set at $1,000 for failing to appear in court in November on a drunk driving charge. That September arrest occurred just a short distance from the officer's death on New Year's Eve.
"At this point now, she's a person of interest. She's the owner of the vehicle, and we continue to investigate that to see if she was the driver," Brown said.
As the investigation continues, black bunting went up in honor of Officer Brooks.
In Washington, D.C. at the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial, the head of that group says Officer Brooks' death was part of a trend and more officers were killed in 2007 in traffic accidents than any other year.
"The streets have been safer for the driving public but that's because law enforcement is aggressively enforcing the traffic laws in our country," said Craig Floyd.
Eighty-three officers were killed in the U.S. in 2007 in traffic accidents. Less were killed by gunshots. In Maryland, five officers were killed in 2007. Three were due to traffic accidents.
The investigation shows that Officer Brooks was alone at the traffic detail. His partners were on a break, and police say they don't know if alcohol was involved.
Forty-three states other than Maryland have passed a law requiring drivers to slow down and change lanes if possible when an officer is on the side of the road.
Transportation Authority Police say they met with the officer's family Wednesday to discuss the funeral arrangements.
Officer Brooks has been posthumously promoted to corporal.
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