D.C. Police Officer Dies Two Weeks After Being Struck by Vehicle
What to Know
- Officer Terry Bennett was assisting a stranded motorist on I-695 on Dec. 23 when he was struck by a high-speed vehicle.
- He was transported to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries on January 7, after nearly eight years of service with the MPD.
- The department is providing support to Bennett’s family and colleagues, and funeral arrangements are pending.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A Metropolitan Police Department officer has died after being struck by a vehicle while assisting a stranded motorist on Interstate 695.
Officer Terry Bennett, 32, was helping a motorist who had run out of gas in the eastbound lanes of I-695 near South Capitol Street at about 10:10 p.m. on Dec. 23 when he was struck by another driver traveling at a high rate of speed, according to a news release.
Fellow officers immediately rendered aid, and Bennett was transported to a local hospital. He succumbed to his injuries on Jan. 7.
Bennett was a nearly eight-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police Department, having joined the agency in February 2018 after graduating from the Metropolitan Police Academy. He was assigned to the First District, according to MPD.
The crash remains under investigation by detectives with MPD’s Major Crash Investigations Unit. No additional details about the investigation have been released.
In a statement, Interim Chief of Police Jeffery Carroll said the department is supporting Bennett’s family and colleagues as they process the loss. MPD’s Family Support Team is working with the Bennett family, and funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
Officer Bennett’s death is the 127th line-of-duty death in the 164-year history of the Metropolitan Police Department.