A US police officer has been struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver while trying to secure an accident scene.
Mitchell Penton was a trainee officer in Dallas when he got out of his patrol car on a highway to block off the scene of an accident.
According to ABC News, a driver who was allegedly intoxicated and speeding ploughed into Penton's patrol car at about 1:25pm on Friday (local time), the impact flinging the vehicle into Penton.
Penton, who joined the department in February 2019, was then taken to hospital and pronounced dead.
Dallas police chief Eddie Garcia said his heart was "heavy".
"Our hearts are heavy right now. This young officer had such a bright future ahead of him.
"We ask that the community join us as we pray for the officer's family. We would also like to extend that prayer to the brave men and women of this great department."
Dallas Mayor Eric Jonson also said in a statement it was a "devastating loss".
"He died far too young, but the measure of a life is not longevity, but what someone does with the time they have. And this officer dedicated his time to serving our great city in an inherently dangerous job. We are forever indebted to him and forever heartbroken by this tragedy."
