EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The father of the 19-year-old woman, who struck and killed a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer back in September in Central El Paso, allegedly turned his daughter in to police, according to court documents obtained by KTSM.
As KTSM previously reported, shortly after 1:35 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 7, 52-year-old David Carmine O’Connor, who was wearing a reflective vest, a helmet, and a light on his bicycle, was traveling southbound on Pershing Drive when he was struck from behind by a vehicle. He was dislodged from the bicycle and was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the vehicle, later identified as 19-year-old Vivian Padilla, didn’t stop to render aid and fled the scene, according to court documents.
The El Paso Police Department’s (EPPD) Special Traffic Investigations unit conducted a detailed investigation of the crash and observed multiple broken plastic pieces belonging to both the bicycle and the vehicle involved in the crash. A part of the vehicle confirmed it belonged to a Kia Soul.
At around 1:35 p.m. that same day, Padilla, his father, and other family members arrived at EPPD’s headquarters. Padilla’s father said that his daughter was involved in a crash, and after he provided officers with Padilla’s personal information and details about the crash, he stated, “She’s the one that hit that person yesterday,” according to court documents.
According to court documents, Padilla and her father were told to wait in the lobby for investigators to arrive and provide a complete statement. While waiting, Padilla’s mother and the mother’s boyfriend arrived and told Padilla not to speak to the police without an attorney, which contradicted what Padilla’s father wanted her to do.
Investigators obtained a voluntary statement from Padilla’s father, who said he called his daughter several times after the crash, and she admitted to being involved in a crash. After talking to her mother, Padilla declined to provide a statement, according to court documents.
A search warrant was obtained for Padilla’s vehicle, the Kia Soul, and a red shirt size small and a sun shade with what appeared to be blood was located. An Apple laptop was also located, and red stains, which also appeared to be blood, were observed outside on the rear passenger door, according to court documents.
In addition, the vehicle parts located at the scene of the crash matched those missing parts on the Kia Soul.
Investigators also obtained a search warrant for call data records for Padilla’s phone number, and the results suggested that she was using her cellphone during and after the time of the crash.
Padilla was then arrested and charged with collision involving death on Monday, Nov. 3. She was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility under a $50,000 bond. However, jail records show that she was released a day later after posting a split bond.
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