Missouri officer on leave after killing girl with vehicle

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Authorities say a Missouri police officer has been placed on leave after hitting and killing a 4-year-old girl with a patrol vehicle while trying to park on the sidewalk outside of a high school.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says Officer Andria Heese struck Gabriella Curry on Friday afternoon outside Columbia’s Battle High School while trying to park on the sidewalk so she could watch students loading onto buses. The Columbia Missourian reports that police said in a news release that Heese was placed on leave, as is standard procedure when someone is killed.

Columbia city spokesman Steve Sapp says the girl was at the high school because her parents drive school buses and she was riding with one of them. Sapp says it’s not immediately clear when or why the girl left the bus.