Two Des Moines police officers were killed in a fiery crash while transporting a prisoner early Saturday morning.
Officers Susan Farrell and Carlos Puente-Morales were traveling eastbound on Intersate 80 near Waukee shortly after 12:30 a.m. when a vehicle driving the wrong way struck their department SUV head-on before bursting into flames, according to WHO-TV.
The prisoner being transported and the wrong-way driver were also killed in the crash.
Des Moines Police spokesperson Sergeant Paul Parizek said the two officers graduated from the police academy in October of 2015 and were well-respected.
"Respect in this organization isn't just handed out, you have to earn it. And both Carlos and Susan earned more than their fair share, starting out in the academy, then coming back out onto the street. And then performing at the level they did," he told reporters.
Farrell, 30, worked for the Polk County Sheriff's Office for several years before joining the Des Moines Police Department while Puente-Morales, 34, served with the Ottumwa Police Department and also was reservist in the Army National Guard.
"This is a very sad day for the Des Moines Police Department . . . Words cannot describe the loss to our organization," Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert said. "We face a nightmare that no one ever wants to experience.
"Please keep the Des Moines Police Department and the families of the victims in your thoughts and prayers in the coming days."
Funeral arrragnements are pending.
Officer.com will provide more information on this story as it becomes available.
