An Upper Arlington (Ohio) PD officer responding to an armed robbery call struck a vehicle that had just stopped in an intersection, killing all six family members inside, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Officer Shawn Paynter entered the intersectionon a green light with his lights on and sirens blaring. His cruiser struck the family's stationary sedan at full speed.
It was around 1:30 on Friday morning and driver Eid Badi Shahad had reportedly just run a red light with his wife and four daughters, ages 2 to 16 in the car. It's not clear why he stopped. All four daughters were sitting in the back seat and no one in the car was wearing a seat belt. The couple, who had emigrated as refugees from Iraq three years ago, leaves behind five sons, ages 5 to 16.
Officer Paynter suffered a head injury. He was taken to OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital where a nurse broke the news that everyone in the car had died, according to Chief Robert Oppenheimer of the Perry Township Police Department. His agency is currently investigating the crash.
