Killeen, Texas fire captain killed in Mother’s Day accident following birth of 5th child

KILLEEN, Texas (KWTX) - The Killeen Fire department is mourning the sudden loss of Captain Marvin Taylor III, who died in a car accident early Sunday morning.

According to a statement from the department, Captain Taylor was leaving a hospital in Austin, Texas after welcoming his fifth child, and was on his way to pick up his other children to introduce them to their new sibling.

At approximately 1:05 a.m. on May 11, Taylor’s vehicle was stuck from the rear by another vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed, police said.

A police officer in an Austin police unit was next to Taylor’s vehicle at the time of the collision and was able to render aid immediately until fire and EMS units arrived on scene.

Unfortunately, Captain Taylor succumbed to his injuries at the scene of the incident.

The driver of the vehicle that struck Captain Taylor’s vehicle was taken into custody by the Austin Police Department.

WEB XTRA: Statement from Killeen Fire Department Chief James Kubinski

Killeen fire says Captain Taylor began his service with the department on July 7th, 2014 and was with them for over 10 years.

He was promoted to the rank of Fire Captain on July 12, 2024, and most recently assigned to the Training Division as the Operations Training Captain.

In a statement from the city of Killeen they shared that “Captain Taylor was known for his dedication, leadership, and countless deployments with Texas A&M Task Force 1 and TIFMAS. He will be remembered not only for his service, but for the impact he made on those around him”.

In remembrance of him the city lowered all of its flags at 8 a.m. Monday morning, which will remain lowered until 8 a.m. on the day following his burial.

Monday afternoon the Killeen Fire Department, along other local emergency agencies and DPS, also escorted Captain Taylor up I-35 from Austin to the Temple mortuary services.

In a statement Chief Kubinski he thanked everyone for their support, asking for privacy as their department and Captain Taylor’s immediate family process this tragic loss.

For those wishing to help the Taylor family, a donation link can be found here.