Indianapolis Police Squad Car Fatally Strikes Pedestrian

Updated April 13 at 4:25 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indianapolis police officer who struck and killed a pedestrian with his squad car while on duty is a 19-year department veteran, police said Monday.

Officer Conrad Simpson was on patrol when he struck a man about 11 p.m. Sunday who was walking on Kentucky Avenue on the city’s southwest side, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement.

Police spokeswoman Officer Genae Cook said Simpson immediately stopped and administered first aid to the victim, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. The area was dark, she said.

The officer’s blood was drawn and will be tested for drugs and alcohol, which is standard in fatal crashes, Cook said.

IMPD said in a statement Monday afternoon that investigators believe that poor visibility due to weather conditions at the time may have been a factor in the fatal incident.

The Marion County Coroner's office will determine the manner and cause of the man’s death and release his name once his relatives are notified, police said.