Car hits, kills North Texas police officer checking vehicle speeds

GRAND PRAIRIE, — A North Texas police officer checking vehicle speeds by radar has been knocked down by a passing car and killed.

The Grand Prairie Police Department has identified the dead officer as Albert J. Castaneda. A police statement says he was standing outside his patrol car checking traffic speed on President George Bush Turnpike in the southern part of the Dallas suburb when he was hit about 10:30 a.m. Friday. Troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety say driver of a car, who hasn’t been identified, lost control of his vehicle for an unknown reason and struck the police SUV, hurling Castaneda to the ground.

The 38-year-old five-year veteran of the Grand Prairie police force and 11 years in law enforcement died about 30 minutes later at a hospital.