CORPUS CHRISTI — The Corpus Christi Police Department has identified the officer killed, and the officer injured, in Friday night's traffic-stop accident.
Public Information Lt. Michael Pena identified Officer Alan McCollum as the colleague killed. The 46-year-old McCollum was a seven-year veteran of the CCPD and a 21-year veteran of the United States Army, who had received a Bronze Star in his collection of commendations.
Officer Michael Love was injured in the accident and remains hospitalized with severe injuries, Pena said, but is in stable condition. He has been with the department since 2017.
The third officer has not been identified, but was not injured in the accident.
Chief Michael Markle, who held a news conference Saturday afternoon, said the accident happened after a vehicle was stopped for racing in the westbound late of State Hwy. 358 at approximately 9:43 p.m. on Friday night. An officer pulled over to initiate the stop, and two more officers pulled over to assist.
A fifth vehicle, driven by 26-year-old Brandon Portillo, who was believed to have been intoxicated, hit two officers. He was detained and taken to the hospital, where Markle said a warrant was carried out for a blood sample.
Portillo then was transported to the City Detention Center, where he was arrested, booked, and charged with intoxication manslaughter for McCollum's death, a first-degree felony; intoxication assault for the injuries Love received, a third-degree felony; and driving with a suspended license, a Class A misdemeanor.
Pena did not have bond information available for Portillo.
Markle and Pena were flanked at the podium by numerous colleagues and officials, including city manager Peter Zanoni, city councilmembers Paulette Guajardo, Ben Molina and Roland Barrera. Also present were asst. chiefs Mark Schauer and Todd Greene, deputy chiefs William "Billy" Breedlove, Anthony Sanders and James Lerma, who was promoted during a ceremony earlier Friday.
"Yesterday we were celebrating the promotion of nine police-officer professionals to higher position," Zanoni said. "And later on that evening we saw the other side of this profession. It's a tough profession."
Markle thanked the community as he spoke and asked for continued respect for the families, and his officers, who are grieving.
"Let them have their peace," he said.
He said this is one of the most trying times that, not only a police department, but a community can go through.
"Let us work through this process," Markle said. "Respect the process. We're going to go through this methodically; we're going to do things right and we're going to come to a logical conclusion as it pertains to this case."
This is a developing story. Check KRIS 6 News here for updates.
