Louisiana: New Orleans PD officer Natasha Hunter dies of injuries from I-10 crash

New Orleans Police officer Natasha Hunter, 32, died Tuesday afternoon (June 7) of injuries she suffered early Sunday morning when a suspected drunk driver hit her while she investigated a multi-vehicle crash on an Interstate 10 shoulder near the Esplanade Avenue exit, New Orleans police said*. *

"This is a tragic loss for her family, friends, fellow officers and the entire community, NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison said Tuesday of Hunter, who leaves behind a 5-year-old daughter. "Officer Hunter was a dedicated public servant who loved her family, her job and serving her city. We will never forget the sacrifice she made and the hearts and prayers of our entire department are with her family today and always."

NOPD announced on Monday they obtained an arrest warrant for 33-year-old Chau Thai Nguyen, who they initially expected to book, upon his release from a hospital, with first-degree vehicular negligent injuring and reckless operation of a vehicle. Those charges will likely be changed in the wake of Hunter's death. Chan Thai Nguyen, whose mug shot shows him in a wheelchair and wearing hospital scrubs, was charged with vehicular homicide.Police say Nguyen disregarded warning lights and roadway flares before crashing his Acura into the back of Hunter's vehicle. The crash occurred around 2:30 a.m. Hunter joined the department in December of 2004, and worked for several years in the 5th District -- which stretches from the 7th Ward to the Lower 9th Ward -- before moving to the 1st District.

She is from a family of law enforcement officers. Her sister Kianka Hunter is an NOPD officer assigned to the department's 2nd District, and her other sister, Jacquen Hunter, is a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office corrections officer employed at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center.

Hunter was "well-liked and well-respected," said Donovan Livaccari, a lawyer for the Fraternal Order of Police who expressed concern for her immediate family and extended family of fellow officers.

A public prayer vigil for Hunter is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at NOPD headquarters, 715 South Broad St. Funeral arrangements are pending.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu issued a statement saying he was "devastated" to hear of Hunter's death.

"She was a dedicated police officer who wore the badge with honor and pride," Landrieu said. "Her loss is an absolute tragedy. My thoughts and prayers go out to her loved ones and the NOPD family during this difficult time."

Hunter joins a growing list of New Orleans police officers seriously injured or killed while investigating traffic incidents over the years. Vernell Brown was killed last year while investigating a car fire on U.S. 90 near the I-10 East split. Officer Rodney Thomas was killed in a 2013 hit and a run on the I-10 high-rise bridge.

About 45 minutes before Hunter was struck, a suspected drunk driver hit a Louisiana State Trooper who was on the scene of a crash on the Bonnet Carre Spillway on I-10 in St. Charles Parish. The unidentified state trooper was treated at St. Charles Parish Hospital for minor injuries.

At about 1:45 a.m., a State Trooper was responding to the fatality crash scene to assist with the investigation when his vehicle was struck from behind by a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado driven by James F. Osborne IV, 34, of Baton Rouge, police said. The trooper's fully marked Ford Crown Victoria had its emergency lights activated and was slowing down in order to pull ahead of other on-scene emergency vehicles when it was hit.

The unidentified trooper, who was wearing his seat belt, received minor injuries and was transported to St. Charles Hospital. Osborne was found to have a blood alcohol reading above the legal limit and was booked with DWI, reckless operation and vehicular negligent Injuring, police said. The crash remains under investigation.

"Something has got to be done," Livaccari said. "We need to figure out how to slow people down on the interstate and increase visibility."