An on-duty Commerce City police officer and a civilian were killed Friday evening in a three-vehicle crash.
Alcohol and excessive speed are considered factors in the wreck.
The Colorado State Patrol says the crash happened at about 6:30 p.m. at Colorado 2 and Turnberry Parkway.
The driver of a Ford F-350 pickup truck was heading southbound on Highway 2 when they traveled off the right side of the road, onto the shoulder and into the northbound lanes of traffic. The pickup collided head-on with the officer’s unmarked Ford Explorer and the driver’s side of a Kia Soul.
Both the officer, 37-year-old Curt Holland, and the driver of the Kia, 31-year-old Francesca Dominguez, were killed. They died at the scene of the crash.
Holland had been with the Commerce City Police Department for four years and four months. Gov. Jared Polis said he is survived by his wife, Amanda, and two young childen.
“Yesterday we tragically lost Curt Holland, a Colorado police officer who worked day and night to keep the Commerce City community safe, and dedicated his life to serving others,” Polis said in a written statement. “I expressed my deepest sympathy to his widow Amanda today, and extend condolences to his family, friends and colleagues at the Commerce City Police Department. I know that words cannot heal your pain, but the entire state of Colorado grieves alongside you. Curt’s service will not be forgotten.”
The governor said he will order flags in Colorado to be lowered to half staff on the day of Holland’s memorial service.
“This is a tragedy that happened today,” said Col. Matthew Packard, who leads the State Patrol.
The driver of the F-350, 45-year-old Fructoso Rosales-Cano, was transported to University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora with life-threatening injuries.
“The case is still actively being investigated,” the State Patrol said in a news release. Further details were not released.