CHILDRESS COUNTY, Texas (KBTX) – A Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol trooper was killed Wednesday afternoon after a crash while attempting to conduct a traffic stop in Childress County.
According to DPS, Trooper Sergio Romero, 27, was attempting to stop a vehicle on U.S. Highway 287 near Childress at approximately 4 p.m. when a truck-tractor semi-trailer pulled out in front of his patrol unit.
Authorities said Romero’s patrol vehicle collided with the semi-trailer. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
“Today, we grieve the loss of one of our own,” DPS Colonel Freeman F. Martin said in a statement. “Trooper Sergio Romero served the people of his community and the state of Texas with courage, integrity and selfless devotion. Our hearts break alongside his family, friends, fellow Troopers and all who loved him. We will never forget the ultimate sacrifice he made in service of his fellow Texans.”
Before joining the Texas Department of Public Safety as a member of Highway Patrol Recruit Class B-2025, Romero served with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office. He was stationed in Childress.
Romero is survived by his wife, Francisca, and their two young sons.
DPS said Romero is the 244th DPS officer to die in the line of duty.
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