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Ariz. motorcycle officer killed in crash

37-year-old Officer David Payne was stopped at a red light early Friday when a vehicle struck his motorcycle from behind

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Duty Death: David Payne - [Chandler]

End of Service: 30/10/2014

Associated Press

CHANDLER, Ariz. — A suburban Phoenix officer has died after being hit by a suspected drunken driver, becoming the second officer from the Chandler Police Department to be killed in motorcycle crashes this week.

Police say 37-year-old Officer David Payne was stopped at a red light early Friday when a vehicle struck his motorcycle from behind.

Police spokesman Joe Favazzo says the other driver left the scene, but officers stopped him a short time later and took him into custody.

Authorities say the suspect, believed to be impaired by alcohol, would be booked into jail on suspicion of manslaughter and hit-and-run.

Payne’s death follows another Chandler officer’s this week. Authorities say Officer Bryant Holmes was riding his motorcycle to work Tuesday when he was struck by an SUV that ran a red light. That driver stopped.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press