According to court papers, a Minnesota state trooper hit the passenger side of a Ford Focus “at full throttle” while going too fast and killed a high school cheerleader just before she graduated.
In one of the four times on May 18 that Trooper Shane Roper was going too fast, he supposedly hit speeds of up to 135 mph (99 mph over the speed limit) without his lights and sirens on. He then hit the side of the Focus.
Olivia Flores, 18, was killed while riding in the back seat. Five more were hurt, but they lived.
Roper was charged this week with manslaughter, criminal vehicular homicide, and five counts of criminal vehicular operation causing substantial physical harm in an extremely careless way.
A GoFundMe page set up by Flores’ family said in a message on July 10 that this week “has been a lot to handle.”
“It hurts even more to learn that they lost their only daughter in a car accident that wasn’t an accident,” Michael Otte, the director, said. It would be an understatement to say that they had to go through it all over again.
“You can forget about an accident after a while, but repeated major carelessness is a different matter.” Nothing could have stopped this.
“The question of why hangs in the air constantly, and it’s a question they will never get the answer to.”
The death of Flores “rocked the community,” said photographer Amber Will, who gave Fox News Digital pictures of Flores in her cheer uniform and in high school glamour shots.
Will told Fox News Digital, “It was an honor to take Olivia’s senior pictures.” Although we only talked for a short time, it was clear that she was a lively, kind, and fun girl.
“Seeing the outpouring of love and grief from our community in response to this tragedy is a testament to the many people who knew and loved her.”
Two of Flores’ friends were hurt in the crash, as were three other people in a third car.
The Focus was hit by Roper while Roper was going 83 mph in a 40 mph zone, according to the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office. Flores and her friends were on their way to the mall.
The office said in a press statement that Trooper Roper kept the engine running at full speed without any lights or sirens. “The investigation showed that Trooper Roper didn’t let off the gas until the Focus started to go through the intersection, which was about 1.4 seconds before the crash.”
“Trooper Roper’s vehicle violently impacted the Focus.”
According to the lawyer, that was Roper’s fourth time driving faster than the speed limit. In one case, he hit a top speed of 135 mph.
Restovich Braun and Associates, the law firm that is representing Flores’ family, said in a two-page statement that Roper has a “documented history of shocking, dangerous, and unlawful driving conduct while on duty.”
Roper was punished by the company for four previous accidents that happened “due to excessive speed, inattentive driving, or both.”
After the fatal crash, the Rochester Police Department put out the following message on Facebook.
“Trooper Roper violated his duty in such a gross way that he killed a young woman who was celebrating her upcoming high school graduation,” Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem said in a statement.
“Several other people were seriously hurt.” Roper’s actions went against the Core Values of the State Patrol. As with anyone else who drives carelessly and doesn’t care about very basic traffic rules, Mr. Roper’s behavior can’t be agreed upon.
Reports say that State Patrol Col. Christina Bogojevic sent her condolences to Flores’ family and everyone who was hurt in the crash. She also said that Roper is on paid leave while the “concerning” claims are investigated.
