Phoenix police officer, firefighter killed on same day in separate accidents

Published January 13, 2015

A police officer who was conducting a DUI stop on a vehicle in Phoenix died after another vehicle struck him and then fled the scene.

Authorities said late Sunday afternoon that police in Surprise located the SUV that struck 29-year-old Officer Daryl Raetz around 3:30 a.m. Phoenix police Sgt. Tommy Thompson said investigators are working to identify the driver.

The hit-and-run collision happened as Raetz was standing in the roadway and was wrapping up the DUI stop.

Raetz later died at a hospital.

Raetz was an Iraq war veteran and worked as a Phoenix police officer for six years. He is survived by a wife and young daughter.

Phoenix officials also are mourning a 23-year-old firefighter who was critically injured Saturday while fighting a mulch fire and died Sunday morning.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/us/phoenix-police-officer-firefighter-killed-on-same-day-in-separate-accidents