The Utah police officer killed last weekend after being struck by a semi has been identified as Santaquin Police Sgt. Bill Hooser, 50.
Hooser was killed on Sunday morning when the driver of a semi-truck, later identified as Michael Aaron Jayne, struck him while attempting to flee a traffic stop.
Santaquin Police and Utah Highway Patrol were responding to a report of someone standing on the back of a semi that was traveling north on I-15. Hooser and a Highway Patrol trooper caught up with the tractor-trailer around 6:30 a.m. During the traffic stop, Jayne attempted to turn around, hitting Hooser who was out of his vehicle.
Jayne then abandoned the semi and fled the scene on foot, later stealing a Ford F-150 pickup.
The manhunt for the suspect lasted several hours and a shelter-in-place advisory was issued for the surrounding areas as police searched for the “dangerous suspect.”
Eventually, police caught up with the stolen car and in the subsequent pursuit, Jayne crashed the vehicle near Vernal where he was taken into custody.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox released a statement on Sunday offering prayers for Sgt. Hooser’s family.
According to the Santaquin Police Department, Hooser was an 8-year veteran of law enforcement. He began his law enforcement career in New Mexico, working with the San Juan County Sheriff’s Department before he joined the Santaquin Police in 2017.
Hooser had just been promoted to sergeant in February.
According to a GoFundMe campaign, which was promoted by Utah state Senator Mike McKell, Sgt. Hooser was survived by his wife and two adult daughters. Hooser had recently become a grandfather.
By May 8, the GoFundMe campaign had raised more than $105,000 for the Hooser family.
Brett Fitzgerald, who witnessed Jayne’s arrest last Sunday, told a local news outlet that Hooser lost his life “because somebody was careless” and now his family would “have to pay for it for the rest of their lives.”
