A Missouri police officer and a driver were killed in a two-vehicle collision that also injured another officer Wednesday.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the incident happened just after 2 p.m. as St. Louis County police were investigating a Jetta that had been reported stolen in Bellefontaine Neighbors. When the Jetta sped away, Det. Antonio Valentine and another detective were a mile away, and the two officers went to intercept the fleeing car.
But the Jetta, traveling at a high speed, collided head-on with the detectives' Dodge Caravan. The crash totaled the car, and its engine could be seen on the road.
Valentine was killed in the collision, and the other detective was treated for minor injuries. The Jetta's driver was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“Grieve with us. Support us. Support the family for all that they’re going through and we’ll get through this the best way we can,” Police Chief Kenneth Gregory said at a news conference.
An Iraq War veteran, Valentine, 42, had been with the department since 2007 and had been assigned to the county's Bureau of Drug Enforcement. He also recently retired from the Air Force Reserve.
"This has shaken our department," the agency stated in a social media post.
