MCKINNEY, Texas — Collin County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher LaShondra “Shon” Whitaker, 32, was one the eight people killed in tornado-related traffic accidents near Dallas Saturday.
Whitaker was driving a vehicle with two passengers, her friend Kimberly Tippet, 30, and Tippet’s 1-year-old son Kamryn Crain. All three were killed when a tornado swept across the highway, reported the Dallas Morning News.
Whitaker became a dispatcher for the Collin County Sheriff’s Office in August 2015. “She earned the respect and friendship of her fellow dispatchers,” stated a post to the department Facebook page. “We offer our condolences to the family and friends of all the victims of the tornados on December 26.”
The National Weather Service has said an EF-4 tornado, which is the second-most powerful with winds up to more than 200 mph, hit the community at about 6:45 p.m. Saturday.
Whitaker had previously worked for the Dallas County Sheriff’s office, where some of her family members work.