A Washington County Sheriff’s deputy has been put on paid leave after he struck and killed a pedestrian Monday while responding to an emergency call.

Sgt. Bradley Holbert was headed to a call in his cruiser at 9:43 p.m. when Aaron R. Fulton, 28, of Marietta, was struck and killed attempting to cross Ohio 7 near Lowe’s and the intersection with County House Lane, according to Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks.

Holbert, who was hired in 2004, was heading south on Ohio 7 from one emergency call to another. The nature of those emergencies was not provided by authorities.

“We don’t know how fast the deputy was going but we do have witnesses to his direction of travel, as well as the pedestrian’s,” said Lt. Carlos Smith with the Ohio Highway Patrol, which is handling the accident investigation. The sheriff’s office is referring all questions to the patrol.

Smith said whether or not Holbert had his lights and siren activated at the time of the incident is still under investigation.

“A witness we spoke to said they did see lights and sirens,” he said.

It was believed that Fulton was walking to Walmart. His address has been confirmed by the sheriff’s office as 824 Pike St. Another cruiser was also responding to the same emergency but was ahead of Holbert on Ohio 7.

The results of the investigation, including crash scene reconstruction, will not be available for several weeks, according to Smith.

The victim sustained multiple traumatic injuries and was found laying in the right lane at the intersection, where he was pronounced dead. The results of a toxicology test on the victim and driver are pending. The cruiser sustained damage to its left front side.

According to a release issued by the patrol early Tuesday, Holbert was transported to Marietta Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for injuries sustained in the crash. A call to Jennifer Offenberger, director of marketing and public relations for the hospital, to check on the status of Holbert was not immediately returned. In a press conference, Major Brian Schuck said he would not comment on the deputy’s condition but would confirm that he was currently on administrative leave.

An internal investigation will be conducted by the Buckeye Sheriff’s Association at the request of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

“We requested that they assign investigators to come down to determine if the deputy was following policies and procedures before, during and after the traffic crash,” Schuck said.

Bob Cornwell, executive director of the association located in Columbus, said it is standard protocol for the sheriff’s office to involve an outside agency, such as the highway patrol, when one of their own is involved in an accident. The incident occurred just outside Marietta city limits.

“It makes perfect sense that they would want fresh eyes to be looking into the investigation and the reconstruction of the crash scene,” he said.

Cornwell also said that, although they may be similar throughout the state, each agency has its on own policies and procedures regarding what constitutes an emergency situation and at what speed a deputy maybe driving when responding to what they deem an emergency.

“What’s an emergency in Marietta may not be considered an emergency for Washington County, and vice versa,” he said. “A lot of that involves what the insurance company says.”

The speed limit in the area of the crash is 45 mph. Schuck would not comment on how fast Holbert was driving.

“We’re not going to comment at this time because of the investigation,” said Schuck. “We do want to offer our thoughts and prayers to the victim’s family as well as Sgt. Holbert and his family.”