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An off-duty police officer fatally struck a man with his cop car and alcohol may have played a role in the incident, authorities told NBC News.
Indianapolis Police Department spokesman Lt. Richard Riddle said that the incident occurred shortly before midnight on the south side of the city. He said that a supervisor dispatched to the scene smelled alcohol on the off-duty officer's breath and called in additional investigators.
“The officer was transported to hospital for a blood draw,” he said, adding that the results would take a few hours to process.
The off-duty officer called in to say he had struck a pedestrian just four minutes after officers were dispatched to investigate an anonymous 911 call reporting an individual walking in the roadway, according to a statement from the Indianapolis Police Department.
Officers arriving on the scene found an unresponsive male in the road. The male was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Neither the off-duty officer nor the victim have been identified but police told NBC station WTHR that the cop had been on the force for around seven years.
"The deceased pedestrian will be positively identified by the Marion County Coroner’s Office," the police statement said. "Once the decedent’s next of kin is notified, the identity of the pedestrian will be released."
Investigators will consult with the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office to review this case for possible criminal charges, the statement added.