Off-duty Milwaukee police officer is killed by driver with a history of DUIs who ran a red light
- Kou Her, a two-year veteran of Milwaukee Police Department, was killed in overnight crash
- Police say a 34-year-old driver who was on probation from his 2017 drunken-driving conviction ran a red light and struck Her’s car
- Her, the son of Vietnam War veterans, is survived by a wife and eight siblings
An off-duty police officer in Milwaukee was heading home at the end of his shift overnight when another driver ran a red light and crashed into his car, killing him.
The deadly collision took place on Milwaukee’s west side at around 1.30am on Tuesday.
Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales held a press conference this morning, identifying the fallen officer as Kou Her.
Morales said Her was a two-year veteran of the department who was assigned to police District 4.
Police are on the scene of a fatal crash in Milwaukee that killed off-duty police officer Kou Her overnight
Police say a 34-year-old driver ran a red light and smashed into Her’s vehicle at North 60th Street and Capitol Drive
The police chief told reports Her was driving southbound on North 60th Street and was struck by a car traveling westbound on Capitol Drive.
Witnesses say the suspect, described only as a 34-year-old man, was speeding and crossed the intersection on a red light before smashing into Her’s vehicle.
Police officers who responded to the scene tracked down the suspect with the help of the witnesses who who provided his direction of travel, and took him into custody.
As of Tuesday morning, he has not been charged in connection to Her’s death because he is undergoing treatment for his injuries.
Police Chief Alfonso Morales said at a press conference that officer Her was a 2-year veteran of the department and was married
Her was rushed to Froedtert Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause and manner of death.
A group of officers, detectives and others stood silently and saluted at the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office when Her’s body arrived from the hospital.
He is survived by a wife, eight siblings and his parents, both of whom are Vietnam War veterans.
Morales said Her’s mother and father were proud to have their oldest son serve as a police officer.
‘It’s sad. It’s tragic, and it’s also unnecessary,’ Milwaukee Alderman Cavalier Johnson of the crash at the press conference. ‘It’s unfair, it’s not right.’
According to Chief Morales, the suspect has a past criminal record that includes four operating while intoxicated convictions in Wisconsin.
His most recent conviction for drunken driving was in May 2017, and he was still on probation for that case at the time of Tuesday’s crash. He also had his license revoked, reported WISN.