A 93-year-old woman died Friday after she was struck by a Howard County police officer who was driving in a parking lot in Columbia, officials said.

An on-duty, nonuniformed officer was exiting a parking space, traveling in an unmarked police vehicle, around 6:45 a.m., when the officer struck a woman in the Dobbin Center parking lot, according to a news release.

The woman was taken to Shock Trauma and was later pronounced dead, officials said.

Several people told 11 News the victim would eat at Panera Bread every morning before coming out to take a walk around the parking lot.

“I’ve seen her, the same people come every morning (to Panera Bread),” said Jack Backiel, who is also a regular customer at Panera Bread. “She would just walk across the parking lot, she’d come out and she’d be w

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