Fort Worth police sgt. dies after he’s hit by suspected drunk driver at I-35 crash scene

A drunken woman early Monday drove the wrong way up a Fort Worth interstate exit ramp and struck and killed with blunt force a police sergeant standing outside his vehicle at the scene of an 18-wheeler crash and fire, authorities said.

With their hands angled at their forehead or covering their heart, hundreds of officers lined the street outside the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office as Sgt. Billy Randolph’s body arrived at midday in a hearse.

Police Chief Neil Noakes stood first in line behind it.

Relatives of Randolph, who was 56 and a 29-year veteran of the Fort Worth Police Department, gathered at the side of a medical examiner’s office garage door that squeaked closed at 11:46 a.m.

Sergeant Randolph was standing on the exit ramp from I-35W to Sycamore School Road when De Aujalae Evans, driving a 2020 Nissan Versa, struck him, police said.

Randolph was pronounced dead at John Peter Smith Hospital.

The police department was grieving Monday.

“Sgt. Randolph passed away today a hero serving the city of Fort Worth in the line of duty. Our hearts are broken,” Chief Noakes said at a press conference outside JPS. “Sgt. Randolph had been with the department almost 30 years. I’ve been here 24, and I don’t know the department without him, but that’s the new reality for all of us.”

“It’s going to be a hard day every day from now on as we mourn the loss of one of our brothers,” Noakes said.

Noakes described Randolph as “one of hardest-working people I’d ever been around.” The sergeant was a leader in the department “because he was always there for his people no matter what. ... I’m going to miss him as a friend, but I’m going to miss his leadership as well.”

Most of all, Noakes said, Randolph loved his family. “He’s a husband and he’s a father, and they’re grieving now,” the chief said.

Randolph was assigned to the South Patrol Division and responded along with his officers to the 18-wheeler crash on Interstate 35W southbound near Sycamore School Road.

“Billy was a father, husband, brother, son and friend,” the police department said in its statement. “The Fort Worth Police Department asks everyone to keep the family and friends of Sgt. Randolph in their prayers along with our Fort Worth PD family.”

The 25-year-old driver accused of killing him, Evans, was arrested on suspicion of intoxication manslaughter and collision involving death, according to jail records.

The southbound lanes of I-35W near Altamesa Boulevard were initially shut down because of a vehicle fire, according to police.

In the initial crash, a tractor-trailer hit a wall around 2:30 a.m. on I-35 south near the Sycamore School Road exit, which caused fuel to spill. The truck caught fire, but the driver was helped to safety by bystanders and had minor injuries, police said.

The entire freeway and service road were shut down. About 5:30 a.m., Evans’ car drove through the accident scene and hit Sgt. Randolph, police said.

The department’s traffic unit is investigating to recreate how the accident happened and determine factors such as the speed and direction of the vehicle that hit the officer, Noakes said. Major case and homicide detectives were also called to the scene and will investigate anything else that might have been going on with the driver to cause the collision, including her suspected intoxication, the chief said.

Noakes said he wishes drivers would pay more attention around accident scenes.

“It was clear that there was an accident, it was clear that the road was blocked off, and this person still ran through,” he said.

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The freeway was closed for about eight hours while authorities cleaned up the original scene and for the investigation of the crash that killed the officer, police said.

All traffic was being diverted onto I-20. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, all lanes of I-35W reopened about 10:45 a.m.

Law enforcement agencies and other first responders from across North Texas shared their condolences on social media.

“Our hearts are heavy as we join you in mourning the death of Sergeant Billy Randolph,” Fort Worth Fire Department officials wrote. “He dedicated nearly three decades to serving the City of Fort Worth. We’re grateful for his service, dedication, bravery and selflessness.”