To protect and serve is what's expected. And a level of human decency is what we hope for. But none were offered to 67-year-old Robert Sayen.
On Friday, May 29th, Sayen was hit and killed while riding his motorcycle by an Alabama police officer who left the scene afterward.
Here's everything we know so far.
Intersection Chaos
The collision happened at the intersection of Ziegler Blv and Cody Rd in Mobile, Alabama. Security camera footage shows the police officer's SUV appearing not to slow down for a flashing yellow light while traveling on Ziegler and disappearing out of frame after the collision. A flashing yellow light indicates that you should proceed with caution.
The traffic light on Cody Rd, on which Sayen was traveling, was flashing red, which indicates you need to stop before proceeding when it's safe to do so.
Seven people called in to report the accident, two of which indicated that it was a police SUV that had hit Sayen before leaving the scene. Here's what one of the callers had to say,
Yes, I'm on the corner of Cody and Zeigler, I just saw a police officer in a van, uh truck, hit a motorcycle and kept going. He hit this man and kept going. Right in front of us, it's a bunch of people out here.
When the press made their way out to the scene, a photographer for Fox10 News found the police vehicle nearly a quarter mile away from the scene of the accident.
The traffic lights at the intersection were malfunctioning, and a city worker was en route to fix them when the accident occurred.
Repercussions and GoFundMe
The officer involved has been taken off the streets and placed on administrative duty while the investigation is ongoing.
Sayen's family has started a GoFundME page with a target of $2,500.
