Four months after they left the police academy together, Austin
officers Amy Donovan and Adrian Valdovino were patrolling late
Saturday night for drug dealers and prostitutes along Poquito Street
when they spotted a man acting suspiciously. Donovan jumped from the
car to question the man, who began
running. As Donovan chased him, Valdovino threw the car in reverse to block the fleeing man,
Instead, Valdovino hit his partner, pinning her against a telephone
pole. Three hours later, at 2 a.m. Sunday, Donovan, a 37-year-old
mother of four, became Austin's first female officer to die in the
line of duty.
The man Donovan was chasing was
not caught. It was not clear why he drew their suspicion. Many
details about the incident, which occurred between 13th and 14th
streets, remained unclear.
Donovan is survived by her husband and four children.
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Adrian Valdovino, far left, and
Amy Donovan, far right, and their fellow cadets went through
rigorous training at the Austin Police Academy for 29 weeks
earlier this year. 78 got their badges in June. |
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APD Officer Adrian Valdovino embraces Terry Donovan, at the
funeral of Terry´s wife APD officer Amy Donovan at the
Cook-Walden Capital Parks cemetery in Pflugerville. |
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An officer comforts another during a prayer
at the funeral of Austin Police Officer Amy Donovan at St.
Helen´s Catholic Chuch in Georgetown |
Agency
Information:
Austin Police Department
PO Box 689001
Austin, TX 78768
Phone: 512-974-5000
