Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio
End of Watch: Tuesday, November 6, 2001
Age: 26
Tour of Duty: 4 years
Badge Number: 975
Cause of Death: Vehicular assault
Date of Incident: November 5, 2001
Weapon Used: Automobile; Alcohol involved
Suspect Info: Released in 2009
Trooper Frank Vazquez was killed when he was struck by a drunk driver while conducting a traffic stop on I-270 in Columbus, Ohio.
He was standing outside of his vehicle when the drunk driver struck the rear of his patrol car. The patrol car and the suspect's vehicle collided with Trooper Vazquez and into the stopped vehicle.
The 33-year-old drunk driver, convicted four times for drunk driving, was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide and drunk driving. On May 20, 2002, the driver was sentenced to 8 1/2 years in prison. He was released in December of 2009. On May 14, 2012, he was sent back to prison for 30 months for driving while his license was permanently revoked.
Trooper Vazquez had served with the Ohio Highway Patrol for almost four years. He is survived by his wife and three young children.