Fire captain killed in crash on Mother’s Day following birth of child, officials say

KILLEEN, Texas. (KWTX/Gray News) - A Texas fire captain was killed in a crash on Mother’s Day following the birth of his fifth child, according to officials.

According to a statement from the Killeen Fire Department, Captain Marvin Taylor III was leaving a hospital in Austin after welcoming his fifth child. He was on his way to pick up his other children to introduce them to their new sibling.

At around 1:05 a.m., Taylor’s vehicle was struck from the rear by another vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed, police said.

A police officer in an Austin police unit was next to Taylor’s vehicle at the time of the collision and was able to render aid immediately until fire and EMS units arrived on scene.

Unfortunately, Captain Taylor was pronounced dead on the scene.

The driver of the vehicle that struck Captain Taylor was taken into custody.

Killeen Fire says Captain Taylor began his service with the department on July 7th, 2014 and was with them for over 10 years.

He was promoted to the rank of Fire Captain on July 12, 2024, and most recently assigned to the Training Division as the Operations Training Captain.

According to the department, “members of the Killeen Fire Department are currently ‘standing watch’ over Captain Taylor and will remain by his side until funeral services are complete.”

The department has asked for privacy as they and Captain Taylor’s immediate family process this tragic loss.

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