A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer has died after a wreck involving at least two CMPD vehicles and a tractor-trailer that shut down southbound lanes on Interstate 85 early Wednesday.
Police Chief Johnny Jennings, in a post on Twitter, said Officer Mia Goodwin died. Goodwin served in CMPD’s University City division, Jennings said.
“Rest easy hero, we have watch from here,” Jennings said in the tweet.
The interstate will be shut down for “an extended period of time,” CMPD said in a tweet at 4:42 a.m. All southbound traffic will be diverted at Mallard Creek Church Road, police said.
The crash at W.T. Harris Boulevard happened around 3:30 a.m., according to Observer news partner WBTV. Two CMPD officers were assisting with shutting down the highway because of an earlier wreck when they were struck by the tractor-trailer, WBTV reported, citing the North Carolina Highway Patrol.
A tractor-trailer jackknifed in southbound lanes as a result of the crash, and one CMPD vehicle had “heavy rear-end damage,” WSOC reported.
Video from WCNC shows police vehicles escorting an ambulance away from the scene.
Drivers are asked to avoid the area and use U.S. 29 as an alternate route, the N.C. Department of Transportation said on Twitter just before 7 a.m.
Staff writer Mark Price contributed to this story.
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