Police Officer Thomas Michael Phillips

Thomas Michael Phillips

Police Officer Thomas Phillips was struck and killed by a hit-and-run taxi cab while conducting a traffic stop of a suspected drunk driver on the Pontchartrain Expressway in the downtown area.

The drunk driver had stopped in the middle of the three-lane highway. Officer Phillips was struck by the taxi as he approached the vehicle.

The cab driver was arrested several days later and charged with homicide, but the charges were later dropped.

Officer Phillips had served with the New Orleans Police Department for 12 years. He was survived by his daughter and son.