A Columbia police officer struck and killed a 4-year-old girl Friday at Battle High School when the officer drove her Chevrolet Tahoe SUV onto a sidewalk on an assignment to observe students departing school, the Missouri State Highway Patrol stated in an accident report filed online.

Andria L. Heese, 27, was driving in the school bus loading area at Battle and drove off the left side of the road onto the sidewalk, striking Gabriella Curry, who was walking on the sidewalk at the time.

Heese, a five-year veteran of the department, is assigned to the Community Outreach Unit. She was placed on administrative leave while the patrol investigates.

Emergency workers from the Columbia Fire Department, an ambulance from University of Missouri Hospital and other Columbia officers responding to the scene provided CPR to the child. Police blocked intersections to speed her to the MU Hospital emergency room, Columbia city spokesman Steve Sapp said.

Curry was pronounced dead at MU Hospital, the patrol reported. She is the daughter of a couple who drive for Student Transportation of America and she was riding in the bus driven by one of her parents, Sapp said, explaining the preschooler’s presence at the high school.

“For some reason, and we do not know the circumstances yet, at some point she exited the bus,” Sapp said.

A Columbia police officer is assigned to Battle High each day when students are released from classes. The officer usually parks in the school bus area to observe students and maintain order if necessary as they load, he said.

He did not know why Heese’s vehicle was in motion at the time of the accident, which occurred in the bus loading area, or how fast it was going, Sapp said.

The investigation is being handled by the patrol under police department policies for incidents involving officers, Sapp said.

“We have turned it over to them and it is in their control,” he said.

The patrol's Major Crash Investigation Unit worked to reconstruct the scene and their work became the basis for the preliminary report released online.

Troop F spokesman Sgt. Scott White said he could provide very little other information while the investigation was underway. The family of the victim was notified, he said.

Acting Police Chief Jill Schlude had a news conference at the scene, Sapp said.

"I would ask everyone to please pray for the family and pray for the officer that was involved in this incident," Schlude said in a news release. "It was extremely tragic and a lot of people need prayers tonight."

rkeller@columbiatribune.com

815-1709

ppratt@columbiatribune.com

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