EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A 22-year-old El Paso man is facing charges after he was driving drunk and was involved in a fatal crash last Friday, Dec. 13, in West El Paso, according to court documents obtained by KTSM and El Paso Police.
El Paso Police say its Special Traffic Investigations Unit responded just after 2 a.m. that Friday to the intersection of North Mesa and Castellano in reference to a fatal crash involving a vehicle and a motorcycle.
Brandon Victor Shepherd, 22, is facing a charge of driving while intoxicated and a charge of unlawful carry of a weapon with a total bond of $12,500.
Police say Shepherd was traveling north on the 4700 block of North Mesa in a white pickup truck, and had two passengers in the vehicle.
At the same time, Kyle Leonard Calverly, 38, was traveling south at the 4800 block of N. Mesa on a motorcycle and was approaching the intersection of Castellano.
Police say Shepherd turned onto Castellano entering Calverly’s path and Calverly was thrown from his motorcycle. Calverly suffered serious injuries and died at the scene of the crash.
Court documents say that Shepherd told police that they had been at a bar called Moon Tower on N. Mesa and they then went to Whiskey Dicks.
Shepherd told police that he had a total of four Michelob Ultra tall boys and did not drink more than that because he was the designated driver, according to court documents.
Court documents say that an officer administered two breathalyzer tests on Shepherd, where the first one came out to 0.140 and the second sample came out to 0.131.
Shepherd told police that he did not see Calverly traveling south on N. Mesa, according to court documents.
Shepherd told police that once he saw Calverly, he tried to avoid colliding with him but it was too late, according to court documents.
Shepherd told police that he called 911 and was directed to perform CPR on Calverly, according to court documents.
During the incident, the white pick-up truck impacted a portion of a nearby business called the Angry Owl.
Police say investigators discovered the motorcycle had previously been reported as stolen, and a contributing factor in the crash was a red-light violation. Police did not say who violated the red light.
The officer at the scene was advised that the crash would need to be further investigated to determine the actual cause.
This is the 66th traffic fatality this year compared to 75 in 2023, according to police.
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