Fort Worth police officer dies in line of duty during fuel spill cleanup on I-35W

Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman

A Texas police officer died in the line of duty while responding to a crash Monday.

Sgt. Billy Randolph of the Fort Worth Police Department was at the scene of a fuel spill cleanup on Interstate 35 early Monday when a vehicle struck him. Police said the driver of that vehicle is in custody and the investigation is ongoing, CBS News reported.

According to the news organization, a tractor-trailer hit a guardrail about 2:40 a.m. in the southbound lanes of I-35W at Sycamore School Road. The vehicle caught fire and spilled fuel. Bystanders assisted the driver in escaping the vehicle with minor injuries.

Randolph had served with the Fort Worth police for 29 years.

How many officers have died in the United States this year?

This year, 88 police officers across the United States have died in the line of duty, including nine in Texas:

  • Deputy Fernando Esqueda, Harris County sheriff's office, by gunfire.

  • Senior police officer Vicente Ortiz Jr., Corpus Christi Police Department, in a motorcycle crash.

  • Assistant Police Chief Kevin Linn Palmer, North Richland Hills Police Department, of a heart attack.

  • Officer Kyle Hicks, Corpus Christi Police Department, by gunfire.

  • Investigator John Hampton Coddou III, Harris County sheriff's office, struck by a vehicle.

  • Border Patrol agent Christopher Luna, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, in an aircraft accident.

  • Deputy Bryan "Brad" Sweetman, Harris County sheriff's office, of a duty-related illness.

  • Deputy Charles Rivette, Montgomery County sheriff's office, in an automobile crash.

  • Deputy Ronald Bates, Harris County sheriff's office, in an automobile crash.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Fort Worth police officer killed after being hit by vehicle on I-35W

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