Oklahoma motorcycle officer fatally struck while on patrol
Authorities say a suburban Oklahoma City motorcycle police officer was killed when he was struck from behind while on patrol
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A suburban Oklahoma City motorcycle police officer was killed when he was struck from behind while on patrol, authorities said.
Sgt. C.J. Nelson, 38, died Tuesday after being struck by a pickup truck just outside the Edmond city limits in Oklahoma City, according to Edmond police. Nelson would have marked his 13th anniversary with Edmond police on Wednesday and is the first Edmond officer to die in the line of duty, police said.
Oklahoma City police, who are investigating the crash, said Nelson was stopped with other vehicles at a traffic light when they were struck by a truck driven by Jay Stephen Fite, 54.
No other injuries were reported.
Fite was arrested on a warrant for second-degree murder or first-degree manslaughter and was jailed without bond, according to jail records. Court records do not show that formal charges have been filed as of Thursday and jail records do not list an attorney who could speak on Fite's behalf.
Fite “simply plowed into the vehicles there, hit them at a fairly high rate of speed,” according to Oklahoma City police Sgt. Gary Knight. Investigators were trying to determine how fast Fite was traveling.
Knight said it was not known why Nelson was in Oklahoma City at the time, but noted that crash was just outside the Edmond city limits and said it is common for officers to cross into adjoining cities when on patrol.