'Profound sadness': First Edmond officer killed in line of duty honored by colleagues

Sgt. C.J. Nelson, the Edmond Police Department's first officer killed in the line of duty, continued his service of others after death through a donation to LifeShare.

Nelson, 38, was on patrol on his motorcycle Tuesday afternoon when his motorcycle and four other vehicles were struck by a utility truck while stopped at a red light. Nelson was taken to OU Health's OU Medical Center, where he died from his injuries.

Wednesday would have been his 13th anniversary with the department. He is survived by a wife and two children.

"Sergeant Nelson’s passing leaves a hole in the lives of those who loved him and in the community of Edmond that will never be filled," the Edmond Police Department said in a statement Wednesday.

In the more than 130 years since Edmond's founding, Nelson is the first officer to die in the line of duty, according to the department.

LifeShare is a nonprofit that recovers organs and tissue from donors for transplants. Scores of law enforcement joined together to escort Nelson's body to the organization where it stayed for several hours while donations were collected. An even larger police presence then escorted Nelson to the Crawford Funeral Home in Edmond.

The impact of Nelson's death was felt by law enforcement and other government agencies across the state and country as tributes began pouring out on social media. The Oklahoma City FBI office, several sheriff's offices, fire departments and police departments shared messages of condolences for Nelson's family and his fellow Edmond officers.

"We were honored to be a part of the escort for fallen @EdmondPD Sergeant C.J. Nelson," the Oklahoma Highway Patrol tweeted. "We stand with our brothers in blue and feel the profound sadness that comes with a line of duty death."

A memorial fund has been set up by St. Luke's United Methodist Church for Nelson's family.

Master Sgt. Gary Knight, assistant public information officer with the Oklahoma City Police Department, said based on the preliminary crash investigation that it appeared the vehicle directly behind Nelson "took evasive action" and that Nelson may have been attempting the same when "that truck slammed right into all of them."

Jay Stephen Fite, 54, was arrested at the scene and taken to an area hospital where he was checked for injuries, before being arrested on complaints of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree murder. He was booked into the Oklahoma County jail and was being held on a $50,000 bond, according to police records.

"Investigators obtained a warrant, a search warrant, that allowed them to have a blood draw done on him there at the hospital," Knight said. "We're waiting on information on the blood draw, … but sometimes it takes days, if not weeks, to get it."

Officials are working to determine more details, including speeds involved and a better breakdown of what happened in the crash, Knight said. Fite could face additional charges and they may be amended by the district attorney, Knight said.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Agencies honor Edmond police officer C.J. Nelson