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Kieran Fergus William Stirling

Age : 53

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 05/13/2021

Location : Guthrie Avenue and Hubbell Avenue

City : Des Moines

County : Polk

State : Iowa

Agency : Des Moines Police Department

Officer(s) :Brian Foster; Alberto Marquez

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

REASON FOR CHASE: Des Moines police pursued a driver after a traffic stop revealed active arrest warrants and she drove away as Officer Brian Foster attempted to arrest her.
NARRATIVE:
On 05/13/2021, 53-year-old Kieran Fergus William Stirling of Des Moines was killed when a minivan fleeing Des Moines Police Department officers crashed into his red sedan at Guthrie and Hubbell avenues.
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Officer Brian Foster had initiated a traffic stop after observing an apparent registration violation and learned that the driver had active arrest warrants. When Foster attempted to arrest her, she drove away and police pursued.
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The fleeing driver traveled the wrong way on multiple streets while two police vehicles pursued. Officer Alberto Marquez clocked the minivan traveling approximately 90 mph on Des Moines city streets. About one minute after the driver fled the traffic stop, the minivan entered the intersection of Guthrie and Hubbell avenues and crashed into Stirling's sedan.
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The minivan then struck another vehicle occupied by Erick and Shirlyna Richter, overturned, struck a tree and caught fire. Bystanders pulled the fleeing driver from the wreckage before she ran from the scene and was apprehended about a block away.
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Officer Foster found Stirling unconscious and struggling to breathe inside his badly damaged sedan and supported his neck while awaiting emergency medical personnel. Stirling never regained consciousness and died after being transported to a hospital.
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Stirling was born in the United Kingdom on 06/28/1967 and graduated from New York University. He spent approximately 20 years working in financial services, including positions with the New York Stock Exchange and BlackRock, before eventually moving to Des Moines. He married his wife Jennifer in 2019. His family remembered him as a sports fan, history enthusiast and animal lover.
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DISPOSITION:
The fleeing driver was prosecuted for homicide by vehicle while intoxicated, homicide by vehicle through reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and eluding. A jury convicted her on all four counts. The Iowa Court of Appeals later affirmed the convictions while addressing merger of two of the offenses.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Des Moines Police Officer Brian Foster initiated the traffic stop and pursuit. Officer Alberto Marquez participated in the pursuit and documented the fleeing vehicle traveling approximately 90 mph.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.kcci.com/article/authorities-identify-man-killed-in-three-vehicle-crash/36434257
https://www.kcci.com/article/des-moines-iowa-woman-faces-multiple-charges-in-deadly-3-vehicle-crash/36428948
https://www.wowt.com/2021/05/15/police-woman-fleeing-des-moines-officer-causes-fatal-crash/
https://law.justia.com/cases/iowa/court-of-appeals/2023/22-0337.html
https://www.ernstfuneralhome.com/obituaries/kieran-stirling
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/desmoinesregister/name/kieran-stirling-obituary?id=9735245