A Gwinnett County police officer has been charged with second-degree vehicular homicide and is under internal investigation after allegedly killing a moped driver last week, authorities confirmed.
Michael James Brady, 49, was driving to work in his patrol vehicle around 5:45 a.m. along McEver Road in Hall County on Friday when he crashed into 34-year-old William Claffey, according to the Georgia State Patrol. Brady told investigators he was looking at his in-car computer just before the crash.
Claffey, who was driving in front of Brady, died the following day, an incident report states. The state patrol said speeding did not appear to be a factor at this point in the investigation.
Brady was booked into the Hall County jail Tuesday night and has already posted bond, according to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office. He also is charged with following too closely.
The Gwinnett County Police Department declined to comment but confirmed Brady was hired in 2006 and holds the rank of master police officer.
He is still employed, but has been removed from patrol and assigned to administrative duty as an internal investigation gets underway, the department said. According to Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council records, Brady’s law enforcement certification is in good standing, and he has no disciplinary history with the state agency.
Brady is the second metro Atlanta officer to be involved in a crash this week. On Tuesday, an Atlanta Police Department officer allegedly struck a child with his police vehicle.
The child, who had been standing at the intersection of Lanier Street and Joseph E. Boone Boulevard in northwest Atlanta around 1 p.m., was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, according to police.
Authorities have not released any other details about that crash. The officer who was driving remains on active duty, police said.
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