Howard County authorities confirmed that an on-duty police officer was involved in a fatal crash with an elderly pedestrian on Friday morning. The incident occurred around 6:45 a.m. on August 15 at Dobbin Center, located in the 6400 block of Dobbin Road.

A plainclothes officer was exiting a parking lot in an unmarked cruiser when their SUV struck a 93-year-old woman. Emergency personnel rushed the pedestrian to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, but she later succumbed to her injuries.

Preliminary findings from the Howard County Police Department indicate that speed does not appear to have been a factor in the crash. The officer, who is assigned to the Technical Support Section, has been placed on standard administrative leave.

The department confirmed that the names of both the officer and the victim will be released at a later time. Investigators continue to examine the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident.