(Reuters) - Investigators will consult prosecutors on possible criminal charges against an off-duty Indianapolis police officer whose breath smelled of alcohol after he fatally struck a pedestrian, police said on Friday.

Officer Bernardo Zavalza, a seven-year veteran of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, has been placed on administrative leave, with his police powers suspended, they said.

An anonymous 911 caller late on Thursday reported that a man wearing dark clothing was walking in the road and failing to move out of the way of passing cars, the police department said.

A few minutes later, Zavalza reported that he had struck a pedestrian with a marked police vehicle, police said.

Emergency responders found the man unresponsive in the roadway and he was pronounced dead at the scene, they said.

A police supervisor smelled alcohol on Zavalza's breath and he was taken to a local hospital for a blood test, police said.

Police said they would release the name of the pedestrian after relatives are notified.

Authorities are investigating the incident, police said.





(Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Bernadette Baum)