MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – A Tampa police officer was killed in a collision with a wrong-way driver early Tuesday morning on Interstate 275 in Tampa, police said.
The wrong-way driver also died in the crash, Tampa police Chief Brian Dugan said during a news conference.
READ MORE: Passing Asteroid Lights Up South Florida SkyDugan said police began getting calls just before 1 a.m. Tuesday about a speeding white sedan that was swerving and heading south in the northbound lanes of I-275 in Tampa. About a minute later, a caller said the car had collided with a marked patrol vehicle.
Jesse Madsen, 45, was a former U.S. Marine who had worked for the Tampa Police Department for 16 years, Dugan said. Madsen had received seven life-saving awards. The chief called Madsen a “dedicated husband” and the father of three.
.@FLCaseyDeSantis and I are heartbroken by the death of @TampaPD Officer Jesse Madsen who was tragically killed in the line of duty. We extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and the Tampa law enforcement community.
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Dugan said Madsen is the 32nd Tampa officer to be killed in the line of duty.
The name of the 25-year-old driver has not yet been released. Investigators are trying to determine where he got y driver were both killed in the crash, according to police.
“This is a tragedy,” Dugan said. “Our community has been rocked by these wrong-way drivers.”
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