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DA: Man Struck By Chatham Police Cruiser Was 'Seriously Impaired'

CHATHAM (CBS/AP) — Authorities say the college student who was run over by a Chatham police cruiser on New Year's Day was "seriously impaired" before he was struck and killed.

Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe says 22-year-old Garrett Gagne was under the influence of alcohol and possibly drugs.

On Friday, O'Keefe identified the officer as Christopher Vardarkis, a two-year veteran of the Chatham Police Department.

Authorities say Vardarkis struck Gagne as he lay in an unlit Chatham street at about 4 a.m. Thursday.

Vardakis was responding to an emergency call at the time.

Garrett Gagne
Garrett Gagne. (Photo credit: St. Lawrence University)

The 22-year-old Gagne, from Longmeadow, was on the Cape to celebrate New Year's Eve with friends. He was a senior government major and lacrosse player at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York.

It remains unclear why Gagne was in the street.

O'Keefe says Gagne's friends are being questioned.

Vardarkis has been placed on leave during the investigation. Chatham's police chief says Vardarkis is "distraught."

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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