MN Officer Struck, Killed While Clearing Highway Debris

Minneapolis police say a Wayzata, MN, police officer was struck and killed by a motorist on Highway 12 Friday afternoon.

New Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo announced during his swearing-in ceremony Friday that the officer had died, and then called for a moment of silence.

Officer William Matthews, 47, had pulled over to the side of eastbound Hwy. 12 to remove debris in the road at about 12:30 p.m. when he was struck by a car, said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek.

Matthews, who had been with the department for nine years, was married and the father of a 7-year-old boy, reports the Star Tribune .