Glendale, Ariz. • Authorities say a Navajo Nation police officer who was in the Phoenix area for training struck and killed a 60-year-old bicyclist shortly after midnight on Friday.
Glendale police say 30-year-old Kevin Hevel was driving drunk when he side-swiped a sports utility vehicle and then struck Peter Rankin, who died on scene. Hevel then kept driving and ran a red light before he struck a fully-marked Glendale police SUV.
The Navajo Nation said in a news release that Hevel has been a police officer there for 10 years in the Window Rock District. The tribe said Hevel was in good standing and was not known to have a drinking problem.
It’s unclear whether Hevel was placed on leave.
Hevel faces charges of manslaughter, felony endangerment, DUI and failure to stay at the scene.