Washington state trooper killed in three-vehicle crash while searching for DUI drivers

A Washington state trooper was killed early Saturday when a speeding vehicle struck his patrol car on Interstate 5 while he was searching for people driving under the influence, authorities said.

Washington State Patrol Trooper Christopher M. Gadd, 27, was killed just before 3 a.m. on southbound I-5 near Marysville when an SUV veered off the roadway and onto the shoulder, striking his parked patrol vehicle, the Snohomish County Sheriffs' Office said. The SUV driver was traveling at a high rate of speed when the crash occurred.

"Chris’s passing is a devastating loss to his family – a family who knows all too well the risks of public service but still has offered that service with unquestioned valor and now, unfathomable sacrifice," said Washington State Patrol (WSP) Chief John R. Batiste. 

A second vehicle, a van carrying six passengers, was also involved in the crash, FOX13 Seattle reported. The van reportedly crashed into the SUV, leaving the driver with non-life-threatening injuries. The other van passengers did not sustain injuries.

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The SUV driver that struck Gadd’s patrol car was identified as a 32-year-old man from Lynwood, the station reported. He was evaluated and taken into custody for vehicular homicide.

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Gadd is survived by his wife, Cammryn, daughter Kaelyn, his mother, hiya father, who is also a WSP trooper, and his sister, who currently serves as a trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety, according to the state patrol.

Gadd served two-and-a-half years with the WSP. He is the 33rd member of the WSP to die in the line of duty in the agency’s 103 years.

"I can tell you that across the entire Washington State Patrol, every head is bowed, every knee is bent, and every heart is broken as we mourn this loss," Batiste said.