Arizona police officer fatally hit during traffic stop, officials say

Clayton Townsend, a Salt River police officer, has been fatally hit during a traffic stop on Tuesday.
(Fox 10 Phoenix)

An Arizona police officer has been fatally struck by a vehicle while conducting a traffic stop on Tuesday night, officials said.

The Salt River police officer has been identified as Clayton Townsend, according to Fox 10 Phoenix. Salt River is about 67 miles east of Phoenix.

The officer had made the traffic stop on northbound Loop 101 just after 6 p.m., the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) said, according to Phoenix's KPNX-TV. As he approached the car, he stopped on the side of the road and was struck by another vehicle. The oncoming vehicle also hit the car that had been stopped, the DPS said.

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Townsend was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 6:30 p.m., according to the DPS.

Officials are investigating the cause of the crash, the station reported.

Townsend, who had been with the department for five years, leaves behind a wife and 10-month-old child, the report said.

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