Officers killed in the line of duty in 2020
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Working in law enforcement is one of the most dangerous jobs in America.
As of the end of February, 18 officers have died while on duty this year – including a pair who were gunned down in Hawaii by a man that a landlord was trying to evict, officials say.
Below are the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in 2020 while trying to protect the public.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FEBRUARY
Kellywood, a White Mountain Apache Tribal Police Department officer in Arizona, was gunned down on Feb. 17 while responding to reports of “shots fired” near a casino outside of McNary, officials say.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}When the 26-year-old encountered the suspect, he “immediately engaged in a violent, physical altercation with the officer, during which, the officer was shot,” according to a police statement. A second officer arrived shortly afterward and shot the suspect.
Kellywood and the suspect then were rushed to a hospital, where both died from their injuries.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey ordered all flags flying at state buildings to be flown at half-staff following Kellywood’s death.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kellywood is survived by his wife and two sons, ages five and three. (Navajo County Sheriff's Office)
Lanning, a lieutenant with the Canadian County Sheriff's Office in Oklahoma, died Feb. 14 following a head-on-crash in Oklahoma City.
She was traveling in an unmarked police vehicle when her vehicle crossed into oncoming traffic and slammed into another vehicle, Oklahoma City Police Sgt. Megan Morgan said. Lanning was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lanning had previously worked for the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office and then retired from the University of Central Oklahoma campus police before joining the Canadian County office, Canadian County Sheriff Chris West said in a statement.
Deputy Sheriff Donna Richardson-Below
Richardson-Below, an officer with the DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana, was killed Feb. 12 in a car crash.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Officer Down Memorial Page says an oncoming vehicle crossed the center line and struck her patrol car head-on near Mansfield.
The Sheriff’s Office says she had served there since January 2019.
Police Officer Kenneth Reid Lester
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lester, an officer with the Richmond Police Department in Indiana, died Feb. 10 from complications related to injuries he suffered in a car crash 25 years earlier.
On Feb. 17, 1995, Lester was responding to an alarm call when a tractor-trailer near him suddenly attempted to make a left turn, trapping his patrol car underneath it, the Officer Down Memorial Page says.
Lester, who served the department for 16 years at the time of the incident, suffered head and internal injuries as a result. He leaves behind his wife, two children and two sisters.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bullock, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper, died on Feb. 5 after being fatally shot by a stranded motorist who was then killed by another officer.
The 19-year veteran had been with the suspect for several minutes alongside Interstate 95 near Palm City before the shooting, said Col. Gene Spaulding, the highway patrol commander.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Spaulding said Bullock is the 49th Florida trooper to die in the line of duty in the agency's 80-year history.
O'Rear, a member of Alabama's Kimberly Police Department, was shot to death by a driver on Feb. 5 while assisting other officers in a vehicle pursuit, police say.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Police tried to stop a vehicle on the highway and the driver wouldn't pull over, news outlets reported. After being shot, O'Rear was taken to a hospital for treatment but died.
O'Rear had been with the department for about a year. He was the father of two children, and another on the way, Kimberly Mayor Bob Ellerbrock said.
JANUARY
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}McCollum, an officer with the Corpus Christi Police Department in Texas, died Jan. 31 after being struck and killed by a suspected drunken driver.
Officers in three patrol cars had been handling a traffic stop on State Route 358 when another vehicle slammed into two officers and one of the cars, Police Chief Michael Markle said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}McCollum served in the U.S. Army and was a Bronze Star recipient, the Officer Down Memorial Page says.
Police Officer Matthew von Seydewitz
New York City Police Officer Matthew von Seydewitz died on Jan. 27 from a cancer that he was diagnosed with following his rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The 49-year-old's obituary described him as a "treasured friend to many".
Moore, who worked at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail outside of Newport News, passed away from a heart attack on Jan. 23, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The website says she collapsed several hours after searching a housing unit for contraband and efforts to revive her were not successful.
Moore worked at the facility for two decades and is survived by her husband and son.
Officer Katie Thyne joined the Newport News Police Department in 2018. (Newport News Police Department)
Police Officer Katherine Thyne
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Thyne, a 24-year-old officer at Virginia’s Newport News Police Department, died Jan. 23 after being dragged by a vehicle driven by a suspect trying to flee a traffic stop, officials say.
The vehicle eventually crashed and pinned Thyne against a tree.
Chief Steve Drew described Thyne as a "true hero" who always had a smile on her face. Drew said Thyne served in the U.S. Navy Reserves before coming to the department in 2018. She leaves behind a partner, a 2-year-old daughter and other family members. She also served as an assistant coach with a basketball team at the local Boys and Girls club.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Deputy Sheriff Sheldon Whiteman
Whiteman, who served the Long County Sheriff's Office in Georgia, died Jan. 23 after his patrol car crashed during a highway pursuit in the southeastern corner of the state.
The deputy appears to have lost control of his cruiser, which veered off the roadway of Highway 57 and crashed in a wooded area, said Capt. Thornell King of the Georgia State Patrol.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Long County Sheriff Craig Nobles said Whiteman had been working for his department for about four months.
This undated photo provided by the Honolulu Police Department shows Officers Tiffany Enriquez, left, and Kaulike Kalama.
Officers Tiffany-Victoria Enriquez and Kaulike Kalama
Kalama and Enriquez, both officers at the Honolulu Police Department in Hawaii, were gunned down Jan. 19 by a handyman with a history of run-ins with the law, officials say.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The officers were responding to a call for help at a home near Waikiki Beach when they found a woman stabbed in the leg and resident Jaroslav Hanel began shooting, killing Enriquez, a seven-year veteran, and Kalama, a nine-year veteran, Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard said.
Local media said the 68-year-old suspect was evicted in the morning before he stabbed his female landlord.
“I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and friends of the two officers as well as the entire Honolulu Police Department,” Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell tweeted. “This is an unprecedented tragedy for not only the City and County of Honolulu but the entire state of Hawai’i.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Taylor, a member of the Bryan County Sheriff's Office in Oklahoma, died Jan. 14 in a car crash while responding to an emergency call, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
The website says his car left the roadway and hit a tree near Durant.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Taylor is survived by his fiancée and two children.
The Lubbock Police Department honor guard stand by the casket during the funeral service for officer Nicholas Reyna, on Saturday, Jan. 18, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)
Reyna, an officer with Texas’ Lubbock Police Department, died Jan. 11 after being hit by a car while working the scene of a traffic accident.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The accident happened in dangerous conditions caused by winter weather – and a firefighter also died in the collision.
"It is not possible to express the hurt we all feel from the death our own officer, and the death and injuries to our firefighter brothers, and the grief of their families and friends," Lubbock Police said on Facebook.
Dunn, who served the Lakeland Police Department in Florida, was killed Jan. 9 while driving his police-issued Harley-Davidson to work, officials say.
The motorcycle struck and drove over a raised concrete median and Dunn lost control of the bike, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.
“Officer Dunn has been with our agency since 2013 and he was a beloved member of our motor unit,” the department said in a Facebook post.
Public Safety Officer Jackson Winkeler
Winkeler, a safety officer at the Florence Regional Airport in South Carolina, was gunned down Jan. 5 while conducting a traffic stop near the airport.
Winkeler also volunteered with the Latta Fire Department, which lowered its flag to half-staff following his death.
“He lost his life doing what he loved the most. Helping people. Jackson was one of the best firefighters that you could ever have on a fire scene,” Dillon County Fire Lt. Nic Bethea told WPDE. “No matter what time of the day it was, Jackson was willing to help.”
Fortini, a former New York State trooper, died on Jan. 1 from cancer that he was diagnosed with following his rescue-and-recovery efforts at Ground Zero in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, according to the New York Post.
State Police Superintendent Keith Corlett reportedly said the 42-year-old retired from his position in 2015 “because of his worsening illness.”
He is survived by his parents, fiancée, brother, and sister, the newspaper says.
Fox News' Louis Casiano, Frank Miles, Travis Fedschun and the Associated Press contributed to this report.