Family outraged after HPD officer returns to duty despite investigation into crash that killed woman

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The family of a woman who was fatally hit by a Houston Police Department vehicle more than two months ago is furious after learning that the officer seen killing her on dash cam video is back on duty.

This comes after HPD released the disturbing dashcam video of the crash last Wednesday.

READ MORE: Woman dies after being hit in front of her kids by HPD unit transporting suspect

Video from inside Officer Shelby Kennedy's vehicle showed her traveling along Antoine near Pinemont at 9:52 p.m. on Sept. 19 when she drove full speed into a group of three people. A fourth person could be seen standing on an island in the middle of the street.

Everyone managed to jump out of harm's way except for 41-year-old Desire Pool.

The backseat passenger, who was a suspect being transported to the Joint Processing Center, could be heard yelling out as the HPD vehicle collided with the victim.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Oh, my (explicit) God! You didn't see them?" he exclaimed in the video.

"No!" Kennedy replied.

RELATED: 'You didn't see them?!': HPD releases footage showing moment when officer hit and killed mother

Pool was later pronounced dead at the hospital. HPD said her group was not standing in a marked crosswalk during the crash. The victim's mother, Patricia Barnes, believes Officer Kennedy should still have been paying attention to the road.

"What was she doing that she didn't see these people in the street?" Barnes asked. "Her passenger saw them, and he wasn't even driving."

Barnes explained that Pool, her two children, and a friend had gotten off a bus and were crossing the street at the time of the crash. When asked why they stopped and stood in the middle of the road, Barnes said she couldn't share more details because their family is considering legal action.

"I'm not going to let this go. This was a mother, a sister, a daughter, a cousin, a friend," Barnes said.

As of Monday, Houston police would not disclose how fast Kennedy was driving, citing that it was still part of the investigation. The closest sign to the scene of the crash states that the speed limit is 35 mph.

HPD confirmed Kennedy was back on the job after initially being placed on administrative leave despite the ongoing investigation. A spokesperson claimed this is protocol, and it doesn't mean that the officer has been cleared of any wrongdoing, which Barnes feels is unjustified.

"I feel horrified that she's back on the street. How could you hit and kill a mother in front of her children and be back on the streets within two months?" Barnes asked. "Kennedy needs to take accountability for what she did. There needs to be some type of punishment. She should not be able to go back to work."

HPD said they are currently conducting two investigations at this time, one with their internal affairs department and the other with their vehicular crimes division. Once completed, the findings will be presented to the Harris County District Attorney's Office for a decision, who is also conducting their own independent investigation.

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