( KRON ) — San Jose’s mayor and police chief are slamming the decision to release a man who is suspected of killing a community service officer in a drunk driving crash that happened in August.
Community Service Officer Long Pham, 34, was conducting a traffic stop in San Jose on the night of Aug. 3 when a vehicle struck both him and his colleague, Veronica Baer. Pham suffered fatal injuries from the crash , while Baer was hospitalized with major injuries and survived. The driver of the vehicle was identified as 44-year-old Juan Huerta-Palacios and is believed to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the fatal wreck, according to the San Jose Police Department.
SJPD Chief Paul Joseph said Huerta-Palacios had prior arrests for DUI in California.
Huerta-Palacios is facing a murder charge in the death of Pham based on his previous conviction for alcohol-related reckless driving, according to Chief Joseph. He was also charged with two felony counts of driving under the influence…