Police Officer Charged With Motor Vehicle Homicide in OUI Crash

Briant Paula, 26, succumbed to his injuries; Officer Eric Wayne, 41, being held pending arraignment

A police officer has been charged with motor vehicle homicide and operating under the influence for a crash that killed a 26-year-old man in Methuen, Massachusetts.

Methuen Police say that 41-year-old Lowell Police Officer Eric Wayne was intoxicated and had an open container of alcohol during the crash early Saturday morning.

Briant Paula, who was traveling with his sister along Riverside Drive, was approaching the intersection with Strathmore Road when Wayne's vehicle collided with him.

A loud boom alerted Jim Christofferson, who immidiately called the police.

"I hung up the phone and went over to the driver's side," said Christofferson. "The door was completely off."

Methuen Police and firefighters arrived on the scene and used the jaws of life to extricate Paula out of the vehicle. He was rushed to Lawrence General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Paula's sister, Lois Paula, was transported to Lowell General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

"He's got to live with this," said Christofferson of Wayne. "He's going to live with it until the day he dies."

Wayne is being held on $500,000 cash bail pending arraignment in Lawrence District Court.

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