Euless police update condition of family hurt in crash that killed fellow officer

The wife of a Euless police detective remains sedated, but has improved to stable condition after an accident with a suspected drunk driver killed her husband and seriously injured their two children Saturday.

Detective Alejandro “Alex” Cervantes was killed after police allege another vehicle, whose driver was under the influence, ran a stop light and crashed into the Cervantes’ family car near Boat Club Road and Rocky Point Trail in Lake Worth.

Euless Police Chief Mike Brown said at a news conference Thursday that both children have been released from a local hospital and are in the care of extended family. Cervantes’ wife has not yet had the chance to communicate with family and still does not know the accident was fatal, the chief said. She remains sedated.

“The family wishes are that no decisions about services and honors be made until she is able to make her wishes known,” Brown said at the press conference. “We don’t have a timetable on that right now.”

Brown was unable to share more information about her injuries.

Alex Cervantes, a seven-year veteran of the Euless Police Department, had previously served the El Paso Police Department. The officer had spent most of his career in patrol and recently was promoted to an investigator position where he worked on criminal cases.

“For an old guy like me, I would like a son just like [him],” Brown said. “Just the kind of guy that came every day with a true heart for service for his fellow man, or person. I don’t think he ever met a stranger, and if you were a stranger, you weren’t for long. He would go out of his way to make sure that he knew you and connected with you at some level.”

The Euless Police Department, made up of a staff of around 150, is tight-knit, Brown added, making the loss more difficult.

“Everybody knew Alex; he was the kind of person that impacted everybody that he talked to,” the police chief said. “We talk about people who have a true servant’s heart, and that would be Alex. That’s missed. He is missed. As we go those few steps without him, we realize how dependent we were on him for his service.”

Community members interested in donating to the Cervantes’ family may do so through an account set up by the Euless Police Benevolent Organization.