KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A Kansas City officer and his K-9 partner died Wednesday night in a crash that also killed a pedestrian.
The officer was on patrol near Truman Road and Benton Boulevard at approximately 10:15 p.m. when his patrol car was hit by another vehicle. The crash resulted in a second collision with a pedestrian, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The police dog also died at the scene, according to the Kansas City Police Department.
The officer was seriously injured and transported to a local hospital. Police said doctors made every effort to save the officer, but he died in hospital.
The driver of the vehicle that struck the patrol car suffered minor injuries and was detained for further investigation, police said.
The Accident Investigation Section is completing the reconstruction of the accident and the investigation will be led by the Traffic Investigation Section.
The police officer and driver taken into custody have not yet been identified, but KCPD said the officer was a 20-year veteran of the department and had been assigned to the K-9 unit for nearly three years. The K-9 officer was a year veteran of the department.
KCPD said Police Chief Stacey Graves would address the media Thursday morning about the fatal crash.
“Please keep the officer’s family, the pedestrian’s family, and the entire Kansas City, MO, Police Department in your thoughts and prayers as they deal with this terrible tragedy,” said a statement released by the department.
