William Vesper “Bill” Owen IV

How they died

Vehic/Purs

Officer Agron Seiko was reportedly heading westbound in the left-turn lane of Oakwood with his patrol car's flashing lights on when he ran a red light at about 5 p.m. on Rotunda. Seiko's cruiser hit a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta driven by William Vesper Owen IV, who was pulling out of the parking lot of Ford Motor Company, where he worked. Seiko was driving 59 mph in a 35 mph zone at the time of the crash. Prosecutors said that Seiko, 20, was assigned to write parking tickets and impound cars, and had no authority to join in the police chase he was en route to. Seiko was convicted of negligent homicide in Owen's death. A Wayne County Circuit jury returned a $25 million verdict in 2005, though the city appealed and eventually reached a $6 million settlement.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that William Vesper “Bill” Owen IV, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources