SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio police officer who ran over a 63-year-old woman near her Northeast Side home may not have seen her because the street is especially dark at night, neighbors said.
Josephine Carter was walking toward her home shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday in the 14500 block of Crainwood Street when the officer hit her, a police report said.
The officer originally was in the area for a report of illegal fireworks. After speaking with someone regarding that incident, he began to drive away and felt something hit his bumper, the report said.
"He just kept saying, 'I ran over her. I ran over the girl,'" said Ed Lilly, who lives two doors down from Carter. "I got down and felt her arm. I thought maybe she was just unconscious or something."
Carter suffered a severe head injury and died at the scene, the report said.
Lilly said his longtime neighbor had spent the Fourth of July in his home with he and his wife.
Lilly said he assumed she would've used the sidewalk to get home. Instead, it appears she stepped into the street, where she was hit by the patrol car.
The cul de sac where the deadly accident happened has only one street light. Lilly said the area is especially dark at night because the light is blocked by tall trees.
"The details surrounding this tragic accident are still under investigation. This was a horrible tragedy for the woman, her family and the officer who was driving the vehicle. The SAPD extends its deepest sympathies to all involved," the San Antonio Police Department said in a statement.
Sgt. Jesse Salame, a SAPD spokesman, said the officer involved has been placed on administrative duty, as per department protocol.
His name has not been released.
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