Miccosukee police officer killed in Collier County crash

Reporter: Gina Tomlinson Writer: Derrick Shaw
Published: Updated:
Horacio Sebastián Dominguez
Credit: WINK News

A 43-year-old Miccosukee police officer died in a crash on I-75 in Collier County early Sunday.

The Miccosukee Tribe and the Miccosukee Police Department confirmed the death of Officer Horacio Sebastián Dominguez on Sunday, calling him a “dedicated military veteran, Marine and soldier, who served his country honorably and recently retired as a Staff Sergeant with the Army National Guard.”

The Florida Highway Patrol says Dominguez was heading west when his patrol car’s right rear tire blew out, causing him to lose control of the vehicle. The car overturned several times before coming to rest in the median.

Dominguez, who was from Miami, was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene. He was not wearing a seatbelt, according to the report.

He leaves behind a wife and a young daughter.

The crash remains under investigation. It happened at about 1:20 a.m., at mile marker 51 – west of Snake Road.

Drivers like Jose Tovar waited in the traffic for hours. “It was really backed up, I mean the line stretched for a mile of cars just waiting to get back onto the highway,” Tovar said.

Andrew Brake knows that Dominguez couldn’t have possibly been expecting that. “When these officers go to work they are expecting the worst during the day. You know, they never know what could happen and for a tire to blow out that’s just unfortunate,” he said.

Dominguez is the second police officer to die in a crash this week in Southwest Florida. Naples Police Sgt. Jeffrey Reidy, 41, died in an Estero crash on Thursday, leaving behind a wife and four children. He was off-duty at the time.

Many in the community say one death is too many, including Andrew. “It’s too too many, I would say,” Brake said.

Governor DeSantis also offered his condolences.

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