An Army officer assigned to the 1st Armored Division died in a car accident on the east side of El Paso, Texas, early Sunday morning ― and the man who allegedly hit him is now charged with murder.
Capt. Malcolm X. Perry, 27, was driving an Audi and crashed after a Jeep Wrangler intentionally rammed his car, El Paso Police traffic investigators said.
“The driver of Jeep Wrangler fled the scene after the crash," a city government statement reads. "Mr. Perry died at the scene. This morning, the driver of the Jeep Wrangler, 23 –year old Richard Mustapha Sennessie was arrested with the assistance of the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force.”
Sennessie has been booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility under a charge of murder. An investigation is ongoing, police said. It is unclear whether the two men knew each other.
Perry served as a logistics officer and joined the Army from Virginia in May 2015, according to Fort Bliss, Texas, officials.
He recently had taken command of Bravo Company, 123rd Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, according to Lt. Col. Gilberto Escobedo, Perry’s battalion commander.
“He embodied what we ask of young leaders in today’s Army, and it was my pleasure to serve with him and to experience his devotion to service to his fellow man and his attitude of present leadership," Escobedo said in a prepared statement. "His service to this Division, the Army and our Nation will not be forgotten.”
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Perry had been stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, since March. He was the second Fort Bliss solider in as many weeks killed in a traffic accident off post.
Spc. Samuel D. Birmingham, 21, died Sept. 30 when his motorcycle collided with a speeding car that failed to stop at a red light.
El Paso police recently said the investigation into that incident was ongoing, but added that charges are expected to be filed against the driver who failed to stop.
Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.
