A pedestrian who was struck by a police cruiser in Brockton, Massachusetts on Tuesday evening has died from her injuries, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz said Wednesday.
A Brockton police officer was responding to an emergency call with lights and sirens on the cruiser when he struck the woman, later identified as 75-year-old Maria Graca, around 4:15 p.m. in the area of Main St.
The officer, who has not been identified, immediately stopped his vehicle, reported the incident, and administered first aid to the Brockton woman, the DA said.
Graca was rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital before being transferred to Boston Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.
Neighbors spoke to NBC10 Boston and NECN on Tuesday before officials announced the woman had died.
“She’s been living upstairs for a while now, she’s a really good person. She cares so much about her family. This is really sad,” said a woman who did not want to be identified.
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Neighbors said they felt something wasn’t right when the woman didn’t return from the grocery store across the street.
“Her husband came downstairs and talked to my mom and told her she left like an hour ago and she’s still not home.”
Neighbors said the victim is outside often and is well-known by many.
“I see her walking around. She’s always outside on the porch or in the yard,” one woman said. "My prayers are with her and her family. Something like that to happen is not something good, especially around this time of year."
“I was so worried because I thought something happened with my wife when I saw the street blocked,” said Jowown Debarros, who says the victim is a friend and customer of his wife Rosa’s where she often gets clothes tailored.
Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office are investigating, along with the state’s collision analysis reconstruction and crime scene services sections.
It was in August 2019 that a 61-year-old man was struck and killed by a Brockton police cruiser on Main St.
