Pedestrian killed in police car crash ID’d

A Spokane man who died after being struck by a police car has been identified as John A. Van Curler. Van Curler, 52, died at a hospital after he was hit at the intersection of North Monroe Street and West Montgomery Avenue just after 10 p.m. A Spokane police officer responding to a call in his marked patrol car struck Van Curler, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the crash with the Spokane Police Department and Washington State Patrol. The officer’s name has not been released, and investigators have not said if he had his emergency light activated or if Van Curler was obeying pedestrian signals. Van Curler’s brother, Jdon Van Curler, said the man battled alcoholism and had been living with his step mother and collecting aluminum cans for money. He was born in Spokane, graduated Shadle Park High in 1978 and worked at Inland Empire Plating until the early 1990s, Van Curler said. “Our heart goes out to the officer that was involved, because it obviously was not intentional or malicious,” Van Curler said. “It’s a terrible tragedy.”