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Family of crash victim demands charges be filed against ex-deputy in fatal collision

Police say 28-year-old Ricardo Resendez was fatally struck by former deputy Rigo Vivar while the officer was driving the wrong way in Houston’s East End back in August.

The family of Ricardo Resendez, a 28-year-old airport worker killed in a crash involving a Harris County Precinct 6 deputy constable, is demanding justice three months after the fatal collision.

Police say Resendez was on his way home from work on Aug. 24 when former deputy Rigo Vivar, who was off duty at the time, allegedly struck his vehicle while driving the wrong way on Canal Street in Houston’s East End. Resendez died shortly after the crash.

Vivar was terminated from the Harris County Precinct 6 Constable’s Office within days of the crash. However, no criminal charges have been filed against him. During a press conference on Tuesday, Resendez’s family urged local authorities to hold the former deputy accountable.

“We’ve been very patient with the proceedings and the investigation as they continue, but we want to know what’s going on,” Brenda Resendez, Ricardo’s little sister, said. “We’ve tried to call, we don’t typically get an answer, and that doesn’t seem like transparency to us.”

The Harris County Precinct 6 Constable’s Office did not respond to a request for comment.

The Resendez family says they haven’t been told if Vivar was required to take a breathalyzer test or if his blood alcohol level was checked after the crash. According to a spokesperson for the Houston Police Department, which is leading the criminal investigation, they’re waiting on a pending toxicology report before turning over the case to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

During Tuesday’s press conference, the family of Ricardo Resendez remembered him as a loving son, brother and dog dad. Brenda Resendez said she would forever miss her brother’s unwavering support.

“I miss his laughter,” she said through tears. “He had the kind of heart and soul that you don’t meet very often. Some people can be very mean. He never was.”

“This will be our first holiday without him, and while everyone else gets to celebrate at a full table with every chair there, one of our chairs is going to be empty.”

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