Ocala police officers failed to investigate possible impairment after stopping a vehicle in the road shortly before it was involved in a fatal crash, the department’s chief has said.
Newly released body-camera footage shows officers speaking to two brothers whose Dodge minivan had stopped in the middle of a road in Ocala, Florida. One of the men admitted he had been drinking, but the pair were allowed to drive away without a DUI investigation, according to Chief Mike Balken.
Fatal Ocala crash followed minutes later
About 2.45am on Tuesday, 29 September, the minivan collided with a Mazda SUV at the junction of Southeast Maricamp Road and Southeast 36th Avenue.
The SUV was carrying 50-year-old De Lawn Marshall Duncan and her 31-year-old son, Eric Derick Maurice McGill. Both were pronounced dead at the scene, while the two brothers, aged 33 and 24, were taken to hospital. One was transported as a trauma alert.
Police said the SUV had been travelling east on Maricamp Road and was turning left on to Southeast 36th Avenue when it collided with the minivan, which was travelling west.
Chief Balken said the officers who dealt with the brothers had missed signs that they had been drinking and might have been impaired.
“The officers failed to investigate a possible DUI or even question the driver’s level of intoxication,” he said.
The brothers have not been publicly named and no criminal charges have been filed. The cause of the collision remains under investigation.
Lead officer placed on paid leave
Balken described the handling of the earlier roadside encounter as “deeply saddening and disappointing” and ordered an internal affairs investigation.
The lead officer has been placed on paid administrative leave. The chief said the officer had been working outside field training for about 30 days at the time of the incident.
He added that the assisting officers and supervising sergeant did not have all the information gathered by the lead officer during the encounter.
The officers are not facing criminal charges, but could be subject to disciplinary action, including dismissal. Ocala police expect the internal investigation to be completed within four weeks.
