A New York City police officer was killed and eight others injured following a van accident Sunday in the Bronx.
The crash happened at Hunts Point located in the southern part of the borough. The officer killed in the accident was identified as 25-year-old Michael Williams.
According to Reuters, Williams was thrown out through a back window of the police van after it collided with a barrier around 5 a.m. local time. He was declared dead at Lincoln Medical Center, the New York Police Department said in a statement.
The injured officers were rushed to different hospitals in the Bronx. Doctors said their injuries were not life-threatening.
"Today we mourn the loss of one of the finest and pray for the speedy recovery of those officers injured this morning in a vehicle accident," Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said in a statement.
"I didn't really expect this to happen today," a rookie officer told The New York Times. "It could have been any one of us in there." He described Williams as a "good kid" who kept to himself.
The Bronx witnessed heavy rain overnight. According to the residents, when the roadway is slick it can be extremely dangerous and the area where the crash occurred is prone to accidents, reports CBS News.
The Times also reported that Williams and the other officers were traveling through a violence-torn area of the Bronx to patrol a massive climate change demonstration that brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets of New York City.
Police said the department's Collision Investigation Squad is looking into the matter.
