Police have identified two of the three individuals killed during a car wreck in San Diego on Friday as married detectives Jamie Huntley-Park and Ryan Park.
“Our hearts weigh heavy today as we announce the unexpected passing of Detective Jamie Huntley-Park & Detective Ryan Park. The void in our hearts will be impossible to fill. San Diego truly lost two of America’s Finest officers today,” the San Diego Police Department said in a Facebook post:
Our hearts weigh heavy today as we announce the unexpected passing of Detective Jamie Huntley-Park & Detective Ryan…
Posted by San Diego Police Department on Friday, June 4, 2021
“We want to thank everyone who has reached out to us with their condolences. We ask that you keep the Huntley & Park family in your prayers as we all heal together,” the post read.
The department announced the news during a press conference Friday evening, ABC News reported.
The couple died when their vehicle was struck by a driver going the wrong way on Interstate 5 near the U.S. Mexico border, according to the outlet.
Huntley-Park, 33, was a hockey player and hockey referee coach who had also refereed Olympic trial games, San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit said Friday, adding, “She was an outstanding officer and detective who was assigned to our southern division.”
He described Park, 32, as a “remarkable patrol officer, who quickly assembled through ranks and became a homicide detective assigned to team one of our homicide team.”
The couple met at the police academy in 2012 and were both promoted to detective rank together, according to Nisleit. They later married in February 2016.
Memorial grows for @SanDiegoPD Detectives and married couple Jamie Huntley-Park & Ryan Park, who died yesterday in a devastating car crash on I-5 in San Ysidro. @CBS8 @DeskEight @SteveNews8 Ὁ pic.twitter.com/i2MF16vf76
— Heather HOPE (@HopeNEWS8) June 5, 2021
“Today, my heart aches as we mourn the tragic passing of two decorated detectives. I had the honor of promoting Detective Jamie Huntley-Park & Detective Ryan Park in 2018. They were an incredible part of our team who helped countless San Diegans,” Nisleit wrote in a post on Twitter:
Today, my heart aches as we mourn the tragic passing of two decorated detectives. I had the honor of promoting Detective Jamie Huntley-Park & Detective Ryan Park in 2018. They were an incredible part of our team who helped countless San Diegans. pic.twitter.com/lxdfrlJOUE
— David Nisleit (@ChiefNisleit) June 5, 2021
The California Highway Patrol is still investigating the crash.
After learning their head coach had been killed, members of the San Diego Angels Girls Ice Hockey Club created signs and placed cards at their practice rink to honor the couple.
One sign read, “Thank you Coach Jamie, we will miss you,” CBS 8 reported.
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