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MILLCREEK — Police have identified a Georgia woman who was run over by an officer while lying in the middle of a parking lot late Tuesday night.
A Unified police officer responding on a welfare check call accidentally ran over Cindreia Simone Europe, 25, according to police.
The incident happened about 10:50 p.m., said Unified police detective Ken Hansen. An officer, who is new to the department, was called to check on a woman who was reportedly in a strip mall area near 3304 S. 2300 East.
The officer drove into the parking lot, but did not see the woman, who police say was wearing dark clothing and lying in the middle of the lot.
It was not immediately known if the woman died from being hit by the car or if she was already dead or injured prior to the officer arriving. An autopsy by the Utah State Medical Examiner's Office will attempt to determine the cause of death, Hansen said.
There had been reports of the woman sleeping in her car in various parking lots in the area over the past week, he said. Her car was not in the parking lot Tuesday, however. The woman had a backpack with her.
The incident has been "extremely difficult" for the officer who hit the woman, he said. The officer, who has not been identified, has been placed on paid leave pending the outcome of an investigation by Salt Lake police.
