LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The wrong-way driver who killed a Las Vegas Metro police officer on Interstate 15 was in the country illegally, federal officials said Monday.
Fernando Jimenez, 31, died when he collided with LVMPD Officer Colton Pulsipher, 29, on Dec. 12. Jimenez was driving a truck the wrong way in the northbound lanes near the Valley of Fire.
Jimenez applied for citizenship in 2020, but in 2021, an immigration judge in Texas ordered Jimenez removed from the country, an ICE spokesperson said. Jimenez entered the country illegally twice in 2019. Both times, ICE returned him to Mexico.
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Pulsipher, a husband and father of three, was off-duty and headed home at the time, police said.
Police located “several containers of alcohol and marijuana packages in and around,” Jimenez’s vehicle, they said last week. Toxicology results were pending and it was not immediately clear if Jimenez was impaired.
There was no indication Jimenez had a criminal record in the country before his death. It was not immediately clear why the judge ordered his removal.
Details about how or why Jimenez entered the freeway the wrong way were unavailable on Monday.
Behind the Blue, a non-profit organization that helps the families of fallen and injured officers, was hosting a fundraiser for Pulsipher’s family.
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