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Ryver Hendrix Russell

Age : 8

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 10/24/2025

Location : West Baker Road and Country Club Drive

City : Baytown

County : Harris

State : Texas

Agency : Baytown Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Bystander killed by police vehicle crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 10/23/2025, 10 year old Jude Dylan Russell died after a marked Baytown Police Department patrol vehicle driven by Officer Michael Hightower struck the family minivan at West Baker Road and Country Club Drive in Baytown. Ryver’s brother, 10 year old Jude Dylan Russell, was also critically injured in the same crash and later died. Baytown police said Hightower was on duty and responding to an in progress person with a weapon call where an officer on scene requested additional units. Reporting and court records say investigators alleged Hightower was speeding and did not have emergency lights or sirens activated at the time of the collision. A Harris County grand jury later indicted Hightower on two counts of manslaughter for the two children’s deaths and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon tied to injuries to another child in the minivan. The indictment reflects that prosecutors presented evidence supporting felony criminal responsibility for the driving conduct described in the charging documents. Hightower surrendered after the indictment and was arrested. Reporting says he remained on medical leave, and no public announcement confirmed he had been fired as of the most recent coverage.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.the-sun.com/news/15432143/boys-dead-texas-police-car-crash/
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/crash-involving-baytown-pd-officer-leaves-two-21131424.html
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/2-boys-killed-3-sisters-024749320.html