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Hourly Update

Tucson man struck and killed by squad car identified

By Dale Quinn
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 02.14.2008
The man who was hit and killed by a speeding police officer’s patrol car was identified by authorities Thursday morning as Timothy Fleming, 53.
Fleming was walking across Broadway near Old Spanish Trail when he was hit by the police cruiser early Wednesday, said Sgt. Mark Robinson, a Tucson Police Department spokesman.
He lived in the 8400 block of East Old Spanish Trail, not far from where he was struck and killed, Robinson said.
Police were not able to locate any of Fleming’s family in the Tucson area and notified his sister who lives out of state, Robinson said.
Officer Timothy Coussens was speeding eastbound on Broadway when Fleming walked into the road in front of him, said Tucson Police Department Chief of Staff Capt. Clayton Kidd.
Police have not released an estimate of Coussens’ speed when he hit Fleming. Officials said it would be determined by an ongoing investigation.
Coussens is a patrol officer in operations division east. He was on duty, but wasn’t on his way to a call at the time, Kidd said.
Coussens was in the lane closest to the median and didn’t see Fleming — who was wearing dark clothing and walking north — until just before hitting him, Kidd said.
Coussens swerved in an attempt to avoid Fleming, Kidd said, but it was too late and the front of the patrol car struck the man. His car went across the median and came to a stop in the westbound lanes.
It doesn’t appear Fleming was in a marked crosswalk, but he may have been crossing at an intersection, Kidd said. He may have been walking to a bus stop on the north side of Broadway to catch a ride to work.
Coussens was on paid leave immediately after the incident. An internal investigation will take place and Coussens will undergo both drug and alcohol tests, Kidd said. All of which is standard procedure when an officer is involved in a collision while on-duty.
Robinson didn’t know if Coussens had been disciplined by the Police Department in the past for speeding while on duty.
Contact reporter Dale Quinn at 629-9412 or dquinn@azstarnet.com.
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