CMPD is investigating a weekend collision in which a pedestrian was hit by a police car and killed near uptown Charlotte. Police said James Michael Short, 28, was crossing Morehead Street near Euclid Avenue when he was struck at around 3:20 a.m. Saturday by a police cruiser driven by officer Phillip Barker.
Barker was one of three officers who were responding to another accident, on East Stonewall Street, according to CMPD. The department's initial release on the fatal collision didn't say whether Barker was using blue lights and siren. He's been on Charlotte's police force since January, 2016.
Since the first of May, at least five pedestrians have been struck and killed by police cars in four states. In Henrico County, Virginia, near Richmond, two people died after they were hit by an on-duty officer's cruiser. Police said the pedestrians were wearing dark clothing and walking in the road, at around 2:00 a.m.
Other fatal collisions involving pedestrians struck by police cars at night occurred in Huntsville, Alabama and on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. And, about two weeks ago, a man was hit by an unmarked police vehicle and killed while crossing a busy boulevard during afternoon rush hour in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
CMPD says detectives from its Major Crash unit will investigate the circumstances that led to Saturday's fatal collision. The department's internal affairs division will determine whether officer Barker violated any CMPD policies or procedures.
