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Matt Sepic
Wayzata

'One of the good ones': Wayzata officer struck, killed by car

An officer was struck and killed on Highway 12 in Wayzata.
An officer was struck and killed on Highway 12 in Wayzata.
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Updated 5:40 p.m.| Posted 1:41 p.m.

A Wayzata police officer clearing debris from U.S. Highway 12 on Friday was struck and killed by a vehicle.

Wayzata Chief Mike Risvold identified the officer as William Mathews, 47, a nine-year member of the force. "This is an enormously sad day for us and we pray for Bill and his family," he told reporters Friday afternoon. "He was one of the good ones, for sure."

Officer William Mathews pictured with his wife and son.
Officer William Mathews pictured with his wife and son.
Hennepin County Sheriff

Risvold said Mathews has a wife and 7-year-old son.

Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek said Mathews was responding to a 911 call in the early afternoon about debris in the roadway. As he went to clear it, the officer was struck.

The driver who hit Mathews stopped and was cooperative at the scene, but officials expect her to be booked, Stanek said.

Emergency crews came quickly and administered CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital after arriving, Stanek added.

The suspect is a 54-year-old woman. State Patrol Col. Matt Langer said the patrol would handle the crash reconstruction. He said he had no information on whether alcohol was involved.

Condolences poured in from law enforcement agencies around the Twin Cities.

"A terrible day for MN," St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell wrote on Twitter.

At his swearing-in ceremony earlier in the day, new Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo asked those assembled to pause for a moment of silence to remember the officer killed.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation shut down the road in both directions for several hours Friday between Shoreline Drive and County Road 101 in Wayzata. Highway 12 eastbound remained closed late in the afternoon. It reopened around 5:30 p.m.