Year in Review 2018: South Bend Police fatal crash
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SOUTH BEND, Ind.—Patrolman Justin Gorny was involved in a fatal car crash on July 20 at the intersection of Western Avenue and Kaley Street that killed 22-year-old mother of two, Erica Flores.
The South Bend community raised thousands of dollars to assist with Flores’ funeral costs as well as care for her two young daughters.
A grand jury decided not to indict Gorny.
However, in September, South Bend Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski recommended that Gorny’s employment be terminated at a Board of Public Safety meeting.
A disciplinary hearing was then held in November, where Gorny spoke about the crash for the first time. His lawyer claimed that Gorny did not hit the right button when turning on his lights and sirens, and tried to correct the mistake when he hit Flores.
The City’s attorney argued that Gorny knew how to operate the lights and sirens on his vehicle, as he had used them 175 times since being issued the car.
The board voted unanimously to fire Gorny, which was effective immediately.