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Crash claims NC officer’s life

Officer Russell Willingham’s patrol car became engulfed in flames as he tried to assist other officers

Duty Death: Russell Willingham - [Winston-Salem]

By Police1 Staff

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Police Officer Russell Willingham was killed in an automobile accident early Saturday morning.

The Winston-Salem officer had been responding to backup other officers trying to stop a possible drunk driver when his patrol car left the roadway and hit a tree.

Willingham successfully notified dispatch, but when rescue units arrived, his vehicle was fully engulfed in flames, My Fox 8 reported.

Officer Willingham had served with the Winston-Salem Police Department for two years and had previously served with the Greensboro Police Department.