Fort Worth police officer killed by motorist while working crash on I-35W; driver charged

A longtime Fort Worth police officer died Monday after a wrong-way driver who police say was intoxicated hit him as he worked to clear a crash from Interstate 35W.
Sgt. Billy Randolph was working the crash of a tractor-trailer and resulting fire on the interstate early Monday. He was standing on the exit ramp to Sycamore School Road when he was hit by a car traveling the wrong way up the ramp.
Officers took Randolph, 56, to John Peter Smith Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“We have a lot of hard days in policing,” Fort Worth police Chief Neil Noakes said during a news conference Monday afternoon. “None are as hard as this.”
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Police identified the driver as De Aujalae Evans, 25, of Fort Worth. She faces a charge of intoxication manslaughter causing the death of a peace officer, Noakes said.
Evans had not been booked into the Tarrant County jail at the time of the news conference, online records show. It wasn’t clear if she had an attorney. Bail will be set at $750,000, Noakes said.
In an earlier news conference outside the hospital, Noakes said it was clear police were addressing a prior crash on the interstate and that Evans plowed through protective barricades set up by authorities.
Noakes said Evans continued driving for about a quarter-mile after hitting Randolph before exiting the car — a Nissan Versa — and trying to flee police on foot. Officers at the scene arrested her.
The crash came hours into the police response. Val Lopez, a Texas Department of Transportation spokesperson, said the southbound lanes on I-35W at Sycamore School Road were closed from about 2:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. because of the crashes. The interchange ramps from I-20 to the southbound I-35W lanes also were closed.
The on-scene investigation by police determined Evans was possibly intoxicated, Noakes said. Police obtained a warrant to draw her blood for a toxicology test, the result of which the chief said would be finalized later this week.
“There is no excuse for drinking and driving. It is too easy to make plans beforehand or just use a ride service,” Noakes said. “Ms. Evans made a decision. Her decision was to get behind the wheel drunk. And because she did that, we lost one of Fort Worth’s finest.”
Randolph had been with the Fort Worth Police Department for 29 years. Noakes described the former U.S. Air Force airman as an honorable leader devoted to serving the community and the officers under his direction. Though Randolph could have retired years ago, he remained on the force, opting to work night shifts despite having the tenure to request “any shift, any days off” he wanted, the chief said.
In a statement on X, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said the driver’s “senseless act has left a void in our hearts and serves as a stark reminder of the risks our officers face every day to keep our streets safe.”
Randolph is survived by his wife and two children: a son and a daughter. Robert Mitchell, who addressed the media on their behalf, said Randolph served honorably and dedicated his life to his country and his community.
“Today, we lost a good man. We lost Billy, a faithful husband, father, grandfather, brother, son and a good friend of many of us,” Mitchell said.
Funeral arrangements were pending, Mitchell said. A candlelight vigil for Randolph will be held Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the police department’s South Patrol Division, 3501 W. Risinger Road.
Randolph’s death comes days after Todd Tipton, a deputy with the Tarrant County sheriff’s office, was shot three times while serving a warrant, authorities said. The man police suspect of shooting Tipton, who survived, was killed in a gunfight with police.
Eighty-eight officers across the country have died in the line of duty this year, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a nonprofit that tracks officer deaths across the U.S. Eight, including Randolph, were hit by vehicles.