On this date, April 22, 2020, Leading Senior Constable
Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King, Constable Glen Humphris and
Constable Josh Prestney were all killed when an out of control semi-trailer
driven by Mohinder Singh Bajwa, struck them as they were speaking to a driver
after pulling over a Porsche 911 for speeding on the Eastern Freeway near Kew.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. The incident marked the worst
loss of life in a single incident for the force.
Let us remember four of the Australian police and not
forget them.
Senior Constable Kevin
King, Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Constable Josh Prestney
and Constable Glen Humphris. Image: Victoria Police
Senior Constable Kevin
King, Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Constable Josh Prestney
and Constable Glen Humphris. Image: Victoria Police
Community Mourns Victoria Police Officers Killed In Freeway Crash
Victoria Police has released images of
the four police officers who were killed in a multi-vehicle crash on
Melbourne's Eastern Freeway on Wednesday night.
New recruit Constable Josh Prestney, 28,
died alongside his colleagues Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor,
Constable Glen Humphris and Senior Constable Kevin King, in the line of duty in
the suburb of Kew on Wednesday.
Constables Prestney and Humphris had
both joined the force recently and were undergoing placements as part of
probationary training.
SC Taylor was stationed at the road policing drug and alcohol section, where Const Humphris was doing a placement.
Const Humphris, originally from Gosford
NSW, was a qualified sports scientist and exercise physiologist before signing
up for the force. He had moved to Melbourne with his partner of four years,
Todd.
He is remembered by his colleagues as "being very level-headed, caring and supportive with a great sense of humour and had the ability to make light of any situation to calm people".
"His squadmates said he
genuinely wanted to help people, had a great sense of community and genuine
empathy for everyone – victim and offender alike," Victoria Police wrote
in a statement.
SC King
was stationed at Nunawading Highway Patrol, where Const Prestney was placed.
Const
Prestney was an arts graduate before he joined the force in 2019.
His
brother, First Constable Alex Prestney, presented him with his badge when
he graduated from the academy in December.
He is
survived by his parents Andrew and Belinda, and FC Alex Prestney.
Const
Prestney's grandmother Eliza Anderson told the Herald Sun the 28-year-old had
only begun his latest placement on Tuesday.
She
described him as "beautiful", "talented" and "so proud
to serve" the community.
"We
were so proud of you. God bless Josh. Miss you forever," she wrote on
Facebook, the paper reports.
Leading
Senior Constable Lynette Taylor had a distinguished 31-year career with
Victoria Police, after she joined the force in 1989.
She had
worked in the Road Policing (Drug and Alcohol section) Operations Unit since
2011 and had been awarded multiple service medals for her police work.
Victoria
Police said Lynette was known for her great sense of humour and "her
colleagues will fondly remember seeing her smiling face every day."
The
Leading Senior Constable is survived by her husband Stuart Schultz -- a former
Victoria Police Officer-- and their two sons Nathan and Alexander.
"Lynette
and her husband Stuart were building their dream retirement home overlooking
Bass Strait on Victoria’s south east coast, which would support their passion
for travel and fishing," Victoria Police said.
Lynette
had travelled around much of the world and spent a year sailing around the
South Pacific on a yacht -- even living on it for some time when she returned.
She was
also the primary carer for her sister who had recently suffered a stroke.
Police
said Lynette would also be remembered for her caring nature.
"Lynette
had a reputation of going into bat for others and challenging decisions that
she believed were unfair."
Senior
Constable Kevin King, 50, had been with the force for six years and joined the
Nunawading Highway patrol in 2018 after working at several other stations.
The
father-of-three was well liked, well respected and well regarded by his
colleagues, Victoria Police said, adding that he had a great sense of humour
and loved going to work.
The
Senior Constable was described as "an older head with a lot of life
experience who always made good judgement calls and decisions."
"He
was a terrific bloke. A lovely, all round good bloke who took to road policing
immediately," the officer in charge at Nunawading Highway Patrol said.
"He
would do anything in his power to not let you down. He always just wanted to
laugh, have a good time, and talk about footy."
"It’s
just devastating to lose a bloke like that.”
Kevin
is survived by his wife Sharron Mackenzie and their three children, William,
James and Henry.
Victorian
Police Commissioner Graham Ashton issued a statement saying the officers' names
"should forever be remembered".
"They
were our colleagues, our friends, our squadmates, our family," the
statement read.
“Each
from different backgrounds, each with different life experiences, each with a
common goal to keep the community safe.
Their
families will never be the same and our thoughts and prayers are with them.
Flags
across the state were flown at half-mast and floral tributes have been left for
the officers.
They were
killed when a large refrigerated truck ploughed into them near the freeway's
Burke Rd exit about 5.40 pm on Wednesday.
"It
is a tragic day for Victoria Police ... it is a tragic day obviously for the
families of these officers and we feel very deeply for them," Ashton said.
Ashton
said two of the officers intercepted a black Porsche that was allegedly
speeding on the freeway and pulled it into the emergency stopping lane.
The
41-year-old driver allegedly returned a positive drug result, prompting
the officers to call for back-up from two highway patrol colleagues to impound
the vehicle.
A short
time later, Ashton said the semi-trailer appeared to veer into the emergency
lane, striking and killing all four officers.
"It
is an unprecedented event for us to lose so many officers in one event.
Officers just doing their work, just doing their job," Ashton said.
The
Porsche driver allegedly fled the scene of the crash on foot. Police located
him on Thursday.
Ashton
said the truck driver experienced a "medical episode" following the
crash and was taken to hospital under police guard.
Prime
Minister Scott Morrison described the crash as an "awful tragedy" and
extended his condolences to the families of the victims.
"This
is a terrible time, more broadly, but for these families and for the Victorian
Police family and for police officers all over the country -- and I know their
families will be feeling the same way -- this is just an awful tragedy,"
Morrison said at a press conference.
"A
terribly dark day for that police force and our thoughts, our prayers, our
sympathies are there for all of them, but also our thanks to police officers
serving all over the country."
Premier
Daniel Andrews asked all Victorians to pause and honour all Victoria Police
officers for the work they do.
"Every
single member of Victoria Police put themselves in harm's way, every hour of
every day in order to keep the rest of us safe ... Yesterday, we had a tragic
reminder of the risks, the dangers and the tragedy that that work can involve,"
Andrews said.
INTERNET SOURCE:
https://10daily.com.au/news/australia/a200422urbmi/young-cop-killed-in-horror-crash-on-melbourne-freeway-had-been-in-the-job-just-two-days-20200423
OTHER LINKS:
1a. 22 April 2020, Leading Senior
Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King, Constable Glen Humphris
and Constable Josh Prestney were all killed when an out of control semi-trailer
driven by Mohinder Singh Bajwa, struck them as they were speaking to a driver
after pulling over a Porsche 911 for speeding on the Eastern Freeway near Kew.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. The incident marked the worst
loss of life in a single incident for the force.
1b. Senior Constable Kevin King, Leading
Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Constable Josh Prestney
and Constable Glen Humphris. Image: Victoria Police
1c. Porsche driver is charged and could
face 10 years in jail 'for taking photos showing cops' bodies strewn among
truck crash wreckage before fleeing the scene' - as the twist of fate that saw him
survive is revealed
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