Texas DPS trooper with Houston-area ties dies in crash a year into his career, agency says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper with Houston area ties died in a crash while investigating another wreck, the agency announced.

According to DPS, a vehicle hit Trooper Kevin Alexis Ramirez Vazquez on State Highway 302 in Ector County in west Texas on Sept. 17. First responders rushed the 25-year-old to an Odessa hospital before a medical helicopter flew him to a Lubbock-area facility.

He died from his injuries on Sept. 28, DPS said.

"There are no words to ease the loss of one of our brothers in uniform," DPS Director Steven McCraw said. "Texas Highway Patrol Trooper Kevin Alexis Ramirez Vasquez served this state honorably to his very last breath. His commitment to keeping the roads safe, protecting the people of Texas and the sacrifice he made will never be forgotten."

On Tuesday, Ramirez Vasquez's DPS colleagues escorted his body through Houston. The agency posted photos on social media of a flag-draped casket arriving on an airplane and loved ones awaiting the plane's arrival.

DPS added that Ramirez Vasquez was a year into his law enforcement career when he died. Before joining DPS, he served in the United States Army. He was concurrently serving in the National Guard while with DPS.

Ramirez Vasquez was the 241st DPS officer to die in the line of duty since 1823. He's survived by his parents and three siblings.