By Police1 Staff
NORMAN, Okla. — A city councilman blamed Oklahoma Highway Patrol and “extreme negligence” for the death of Lt. Heath Meyer.
Meyer was struck by a patrol car during a high-speed pursuit on July 14 while laying out stop sticks, The Oklahoman reported. Dangelo Ladon Burgess, who was out on bail, was arrested that night.
KFOR reported that Councilman Stephen Tyler Holman wrote on Facebook that the negligence of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol resulted in Meyer’s death. The post has since been deleted.
“Putting stop sticks out to stop a car going over 100 mph is extremely negligent on behalf of the OHP,” he wrote. “They put people’s lives at risk by doing that and it ended up costing one of their own.”
Another post by Holman, which was also deleted, said the suspect can’t be the only one taking the blame and the department ignored other factors.
Former trooper Corey Miner wrote an open letter to Holman after seeing the posts, saying that Meyer put himself in harm’s way that night to “protect everybody on that highway, including Councilman Holman.”
“I think he should apologize to Trooper Meyer’s widow, I think he should apologize to Trooper Meyer’s two children and I think he should apologize to those constituents whom he represents,” Miner told KFOR.
Holman later replied to a comment saying he supports all good police officers, including Meyer.