Former Precinct 6 Deputy kills man in fatal crash while off duty, family and neighbors react
HOUSTON - Neighbors are outraged after 28-year-old Ricardo Resendez, was hit and killed Saturday by a Harris County Precinct 6 Deputy Rigo Vivar.
The deputy has already lost their job since the incident.
The man who rescued Ricardo says what he saw yesterday was traumatizing.
"I ripped off the windshield and me and another eyewitness pulled down the passenger door and he was gone, he was already gone," said Antonio Briones.
Briones says he was on his way to work when heard a loud crash and came running to help – only to find his neighbor dead.
" I saw a police officer in uniform and believed he was a first responder at first and as I was calling 911 and then I recognized he was driving the white SUV," Briones said.
Harris County Constable Precinct 6 and Houston police department say ‘the now former’ deputy- 26-year-old- Rigo Vivar was off duty heading eastbound driving a white Chevy Tahoe when he skipped traffic on Canal and hit Ricardo’s vehicle.
Vivar was terminated from his job on Sunday.
Neighbors say Canal is filled with cars flying and, according to eyewitnesses, Vivar’s Tahoe was the one speeding at the time of the crash.
"The one policeman that was off duty he was the one speeding and he passed the people on the wrong side of the street. That’s what a couple of eyewitnesses told me, but regardless of if you’re an officer or not, you should not be driving like that," said Ray Rodriguez.
Briones says he is outraged by the accident and says he wants Vivar to be held accountable.
"From my understanding, he was going at a high speed this is a young man. He is my age. We both go to work to handle our business and go home, and he was almost home," said Briones.
The Resendez family is being represented by an attorney who talked with us and sent over this statement :