UPDATED 12:36: A SWAT team arrested a man at about 11:45 this morning in relation to the hit-skip accident that killed Cleveland police officer David Fahey earlier today. The arrest was on West 31st Street in Lorain. Cleveland.com says police found the white Toyota Camry at that address.
UPDATED 11:27 a.m.: The officer has been identified as David Fahey, 39, who was hired by the department in July 2014.
Here's a statement from the Fraternal Order of Police:
"Today has been a tragic day. First, a driver was killed in an accident along Interstate 90 near Cleveland. Then, Police Officer David Fahey responded to that accident and was in the process of diverting traffic away when he was hit and killed by another driver. The driver then fled the scene of the accident.
"I mourn this loss with our police brothers and sisters in Cleveland and I urge anyone with information about the hit and skip driver to contact local authorities.
"While we don’t yet know the exact circumstances, I urge everyone to slow down when you see the lights of emergency personnel. I urge all drivers to avoid using devices like phones which distract you while driving. And I urge people to slow down; observe both road conditions and the speed limit. Getting to your destination a fewer seconds faster doesn’t mean much, but the decisions you make on the roadways can literally be the difference between life and death.
"This senseless death of a Cleveland Police Officer reminds us all how dangerous policing can be and we ask that you join us in praying for the family, friends and colleagues of our fallen Brother."
If you have a tip, call: (216) 621-1234
Cleveland police are still looking for the driver who hit and killed a Cleveland police officer on I-90 this morning and then took off.
A photo the city is distributing shows a white Toyota Camry with gray stripes on each side. The partial license plate is GTD.
At a press briefing this morning, Police Chief Calvin Williams said the officer was struck while he was setting road flares at about 6 a.m. near Warren Road. He was responding to another fatal crash in Rocky River, in which a driver crashed into a fire truck.
The officer has not been identified.
