HOUSTON – A Houston police officer has died from injuries received in a single-car crash on the I-45 feeder road.
It happened Tuesday around 11:45 p.m. near East Troy Street.
Police said Officer Eydelmen Mani, 30, was responding to an assist call when he left the road, ran over some signs and slammed into a guardrail.
Officer Mani was pinned in the wreckage and had to be freed by firefighters. He was rushed to the hospital but doctors weren't able to save him.
Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland announced Mani’s death around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.
"This is a very difficult and sad day for the Houston Police Department and the citizens of Houston," McClelland said. "We have just lost one of our own."
At City Hall Wednesday morning, Mayor Annise Parker told council members that she’d gone to see the officer at the hospital around 1:30 a.m.
She said Mani, a seven-year veteran of the force, had been administered last rites and gone through 100 units of blood.
Parker issued the following statement Wednesday afternoon: "My sincere condolences go out to Officer Mani’s family for their tragic loss today. He fought for his life for many hours since very early this morning, and knew he had the support of the entire Houston police force behind him. His perseverance to protect and serve for the greater good of the entire Houston community will be remembered by us all. May he now rest in peace."
Mani is survived by his wife and 3-year-old son. He is one of 11 children who grew up in North Houston.
"My heartfelt sympathy goes out to Officer Mani’s family and loved ones and I ask all Houstonians to keep his family and the Houston
Police Department in their thoughts and prayers," Chief McClelland said.
Mani was assigned to the North Patrol Division.
"He was the kind of officer who didn’t say a lot, but his fellow officers knew they could count on him. He had a quiet strength," said Capt. Victor Rodriguez , Mani’s supervisor. "Mani, I’m convinced, loved the job that he had, loved his family, an excellent family man and our division has lost a tremendous, tremendous man."
The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
The Houston Police Department said visitation for Mani will be held on Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Klein Funeral Home located at 16131 Champion Forest Drive in Spring.
Mani's funeral will be held on Saturday at 12 p.m. at St. Charles Catholic Church, which is located at 501 Tidwell. The burial follows at Hollywood Cemetery, located at 3506 North Main.
