(RepublicanView.org) – A Sheriff’s deputy died after he was struck by a police car at the tail end of a high-speed chase across the Georgia-Alabama state line. Coweta County Deputy Eric Minix was chasing a stolen vehicle, and when he caught up with the suspect, who was stopped by officers from the Lannett police department, Minix exited his patrol car and was struck by a fellow officer driving an SUV. He died at the scene.
A statement from the Sheriff’s office described Minix as a good man, deputy, and friend. Mr. Minix, who worked with trained dogs in the K-9 unit, was married with three young daughters. He was 31 years old.
Coweta County Sheriff Lenn Wood said of his deputies, “What these men and women do each and every day is dangerous. And I ask that you pray for him and his family.”
Alabama officers identified the suspect in the stolen car as Decedric Donson, a 25-year-old Floridian from Pensacola, who was charged with receiving stolen property in the first degree and felony attempting to elude the police.
High-speed pursuits are one of the most dangerous aspects of policing, and thousands have died in the past few decades. Most related deaths involve bystanders, but cops are often injured or killed in this part of their duty. According to Newsweek, last year, reports noted that an average of around 320 people die each year in America during high-speed law enforcement pursuits, and HG.org reported that 5,000 bystanders have died since 1979. Most of those deaths occurred when offenders struck people while attempting to evade officers.
According to the National Institute of Justice, the FBI reported that between 2007 and 2016, the top cause of officer line of duty death was getting hit by vehicles in motion on the roadway.
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