UPDATE: WKRG 5 reported Tuesday the officer has been identified as Ivan Lopez, a former Summerdale and Mt. Vernon police officer who was working at the Mt. Vernon Police Department.
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SUMMERDALE — An officer on his way home was killed when two occupants of a pick-up truck sped through a stop sign on County Road 36 and hit the officer’s vehicle on Highway 59, Summerdale Police Chief Kevin Brock said. The accident occurred just after 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 22.
The identity of the officer or which department he worked for has not been released, but they were not part of any Baldwin County agency, Brock said.
According to police reports, the drivers of the truck were exceeding the speed limit when they drove through the stop sign. The occupants of the truck suffered serious injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital.
Summerdale police handled the crash with assistance from Alabama Law Enforcement Agency troopers. Both lanes of Highway 59 were blocked off near County Road 36 during the response efforts.
Responders to the scene paid tribute to the fallen officer by escorting his body from the scene as he was being transported.
The local law enforcement community is devastated by the officer’s death, said Brock, who knew the victim.
This is a developing story.
