Texas Police Chief in Private Car, 4 Others Die in Wreck

BARDWELL, Texas (AP) — Investigators say a traffic accident in North Texas has killed five people including a police chief driving a private car.

The Texas Department of Public Safety says the two-vehicle wreck happened around 10 a.m. Sunday on Highway 34 near Bardwell, 40 miles (64.37 kilometers) south of Dallas.

DPS Staff Sgt. Sara Warren says authorities are trying to determine why a westbound pickup truck veered into an eastbound car driven by 67-year-old Michael Spurgeon Sr. of Bardwell.

A city official in Bardwell said Monday that Spurgeon was the town's police chief. His volunteer firefighter son, 40-year-old Michael Spurgeon Jr., was in the car and also killed.

The pickup driver, 31-year-old Jose Munoz of Ennis, and two passengers died — an 8-year-old girl and 5-year-old boy. Their names and relationship weren't immediately released.