A Texas Highway Patrol trooper was killed Wednesday afternoon when a semi-truck pulled into the path of his patrol vehicle during an attempted traffic stop on U.S. Highway 287, state officials said.
Trooper Sergio Romero, 27, died at the scene of the crash near Childress around 4 p.m., according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Investigators said Romero was moving to pull over a vehicle when a semi-truck entered the roadway in front of his patrol unit, leading to the collision. The crash remains under investigation, and authorities have not released information about the semi-truck driver or any potential charges.
Romero recently completed training as part of the Class B-2025 academy and was assigned to Childress. Before joining DPS, he served with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.
“Today, we grieve the loss of one of our own,” DPS Colonel Freeman F. Martin said in a statement. “Trooper Sergio Romero served the people of his community and the state of Texas with courage, integrity and selfless devotion… We will never forget the ultimate sacrifice he made in service of his fellow Texans.”
According to DPS, Romero is the 244th officer with the agency to die in the line of duty since tracking began in 1823.
He is survived by his wife, Francisca, and two young sons. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Childress sits in the southeastern part of the Texas Panhandle along U.S. Highway 287, about 115 miles southeast of Amarillo and roughly 250 miles northwest of Dallas.
