On this date (April 25) 1997 a wife lost a husband, a seven year old son lost a father and Dallas lost a Police Officer.
Police Officer Henry Allen Brown, Badge Number 6357, age 35 died as a result of injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident.
Officer Brown was driving east on Interstate Highway 20, east of Texas Highway Spur 408 during a heavy rain storm at approximately 3:25 p.m. and observed a female pedestrian attempting to cross the freeway across the westbound lanes.
Officer Brown stopped on the median shoulder of the freeway and picked up the pedestrian, Kimberly Munn, age 34 who informed him she had a flat tire on her van which was parked on the north shoulder of the westbound traffic lanes.
Officer Brown and Ms. Munn returned to the van and both exited the police vehicle which was displaying emergency lights.
Officer Brown, was bending over examining the flat tire and Ms. Munn were standing at the rear of Ms. Munn’s van. A vehicle driven by Melissa Nowell, age 26 which was westbound began skidding, continued onto the north shoulder of the roadway and collided front to rear of the police vehicle which was propelled forward pinning Officer Brown between the police vehicle and Ms. Munn’s van. Ms. Munn was also struck and received a leg injury.
All involved were transported to Charlton Methodist Hospital were Officer Brown was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Ms. Munn and Ms. Nowell were treated and released.
An Involuntary Manslaughter charge was referred to the Dallas County Grand Jury, but there was no indictment of Ms. Nowell returned.
Police Officer Henry Allen Brown, a seven year veteran of the Dallas Police Department is interred at Laurel Land Cemetery, Dallas, Texas.