Charges filed in fatal CSP Trooper crash

UPDATE: 41 year old truck driver, Noe Gamez-Ruiz has been arrested, charged with careless driving resulting in the death of CSP Trooper Cody Donahue. He bonded out of jail early Saturday morning.

Previous Story:

It was an emotional day for law enforcement across Colorado on Friday, who could be seen saluting fallen Trooper Cody Donahue–killed in the line of duty Friday afternoon.

He leaves behind a wife and two children.

“Obviously our hearts are broken tonight, as is his family’s, as are the members of the Colorado State Patrol,” said Major Steve Garcia with the Colorado State Patrol.

Trooper Donahue was hit and killed while investigating a property damage crash on Northbound I-25, just south of Castle Rock–around 1:30 p.m.

Trooper Cody Donahue
Trooper Cody Donahue

The crash remains under investigation, though authorities say Donahue was outside of his car–wearing proper reflective gear–when he was struck by a commercial truck.

He was pronounced dead on scene.

The driver of the commercial truck was detained, while the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department inspects CSP dash-cam video to determine what, if any, charges will be filed against him.

“Yes, this is a criminal investigation going on,” said Steve Johnson with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, during a press conference Friday.

“We will also be looking at the camera footage from within his truck he was driving.  It is a commercial retail company truck so we will be working with that company to take a look at that,” Johnson added.

Johnson indicated he expected the driver would be arrested and charged.  As of 11:30 Friday night though, no arrests had been made.

Sadly, this is not the first time, in recent memory, a trooper’s life has been lost on I-25.

Trooper Jamie Jursevics was killed just over a year ago while investigating a crash and Trooper Cadet Taylor Thyfault also died in the Denver area while helping at a crash site.

A tragic reminder of just how crucial it is to be aware of your surroundings, while on the road.

“When you see these troopers and you see these law enforcement officers that are out there just trying to do their job, please move over and give them the room they need–because if not, this is what happens.  and it continues to happen on a regular basis,” said Johnson.

Johnson tells News5 they are still very early in the investigation.

We will continue to bring you updates as they’re made available.

Source: Criminal charges filed in fatal CSP Trooper crash

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