Woman dies after Cincinnati police car hits her in Washington Park

Deborah Gross couldn’t get the image out of her head Tuesday – a police cruiser driving over a blanket on the Washington Park grass, the screams that followed and then seeing Joann Burton slide out from underneath.

“I couldn’t believe what I saw,” said Gross, 48, who has frequented the park for about three months. “She tried to get up, but then fell back down. She curled up in a ball and just rocked back and forth, moaning.”

Gross looked back at Cincinnati Police Officer Marty Polk and saw a pained expression fall over his face. Near tears, he took his police hat off, wiped his hand over his head and cried “Oh my God, what have I done? ... Oh my God.” Burton – identified as homeless – died at University Hospital. She was 48.

• Photos: Woman killed in Washington Park
• Photos: Vigil for Joann Burton