ThePrince George’s County Police Department has identified the off-duty officer who was driving the cruiser that killed a University of Maryland student in a crash this week.
Officer Mario Chavez, a nine-year veteran of the force, was named as the driver by department spokeswoman Cpl. Diane Richardson. Richardson said no disciplinary action had been taken against Chavez, but that the matter remained under investigation.
Chavez was driving north on Bel Air Drive Monday morning when his police cruiser struck Brian Gray‘s Chevrolet Beretta near the intersection of Beaverdale Lane in Bowie, according to police.
Gray, 20, was on his way to school when he was killed. His mother, Mary Gray, was in the car behind her son when the deadly accident occurred and performed CPR on her son as he lay dying.
“It’s a 25-mile-per-hour zone,” Mary told The Examiner. “You just can’t kill someone going 25 miles per hour.”
Originally, the department declined to identify Chavez, but citing intense public interest, Richardson released his name. She said the department decided to release the name in order to clear up any hint of secrecy on the part of the police.
“Obviously he’s very upset about the accident,” she added. “It’s a tremendous tragedy.”
Richardson said Chavez worked in patrol services and carried out administrative duties. Another department official said that Chavez had been allowed to use a cruiser to travel to and from work, even though he didn’t need the vehicle for his duties.
His officer status has not changed since Monday’s accident, Richardson said.
Police declined to release additional information about Chavez, but an Examiner investigation found a Mario Chavez who resides in Bowie but does not have a listed phone number. Neighbors say an officer resides in the home and a police car is occasionally parked outside, but has not been for several days.
They describe the officer as a family man with a wife and three small children whom he frequently plays with outside.
Police said Chavez sustained minor injuries and was taking a brief break from his duties.
