Sheriff’s deputy hits, kills pedestrian
28-year-old struck by car while crossing Coors near Gun Club Road
A deputy on patrol in the South Valley struck and killed a pedestrian just before 1 a.m. Sunday, according to Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales.
At a Monday afternoon news conference, Gonzales said the deputy was driving south on Coors SW and struck 28-year-old Brendan McClure as he was crossing the boulevard about 200 yards north of Gun Club Road.
“Immediately after the crash, multiple deputies administered first aid, but they were unsuccessful in their efforts,” Gonzales said. He said McClure died at the scene. Gonzales said he didn’t know whether the deputy suffered any injuries, but he saw him standing after the crash. “He seemed to be more shaken up than anything,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales said the deputy is on paid administrative leave. He didn’t identify the deputy and said all other details would be released by the Albuquerque Police Department, which is investigating the crash.
In an emailed statement, APD spokeswoman Celina Espinoza confirmed police are investigating. “At this point in the investigation,
speed does not appear to be a factor,” Espinoza said.
She said McClure was not in a crosswalk.
Neither Gonzales nor Espinoza knew whether the deputy was responding to a call when he struck McClure.
“I ask for your thoughts and prayers for the family of Brendan McClure and for our deputy during this difficult time,” Gonzales said.
The crash marked the second time in two months that an on-duty local law enforcement agent was involved in a traffic accident in which someone was killed.
On April 17, APD officer Johnathan McDonnell was responding to a call when his vehicle hit a vehicle driven by a woman who had turned left through the intersection in front of him. Her 6-year-old son died in the crash.