Milwaukee Police Officer Killed While Driving Home by Alleged Drunk Driver

A Milwaukee police officer was killed on his way home from work Tuesday morning when an alleged drunk driver hit his car.

At 1:35 a.m. Tuesday morning Officer Kou Her was driving home from work when another vehicle ran a red light and hit Her’s car, Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales said during a press conference later that morning.

Witnesses told police the driver was allegedly speeding when he entered the intersection and ran through the light. Police were able to locate the driver after witnesses helped them figure out which direction he allegedly fled on foot after the crash.

Her was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

“Officer Her just completed his tour of duty and like all of us wanted to drive home safely,” Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said. “Because of a person running a red light, he is no longer with us.”

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While the driver’s identity has not been released, Morales said he was a 34-year-old Milwaukee resident who was on probation for a May 2017 conviction for operating while intoxicated. He has been convicted of OWI four times already in the state of Wisconsin, Morales said.

Her had been with the department for two years. He was married and is survived by a wife, six brothers, two sisters and his mother and father, both of whom served in Vietnam. Morales said Her’s father was proud to have his first son be a police officer and serve the community.

“This is a sad day for this city, a sad day for the state,” Milwaukee Alderman Cavalier Johnson said during the press conference, noting multiple deaths within the department this year already. “It’s unfair, it’s not right.”

No charges have been filed. The Wisconsin State Patrol will conduct the investigation into Her’s death.