Police Search For Witnesses In Crash That Killed Trooper Cadet
LONGMONT, Colo. (CBS4)- Police in Longmont are searching for more witnesses to a crash that killed a Colorado State Patrol trooper cadet dead and critically injured another trooper.
Cadet Taylor Thyfault was working an accident on Highway 66 in Longmont Saturday when he and Trooper Clinton Rushing were hit by a speeding car involved in police chase that started nearby.
Thyfault, 21, was killed and Rushing was seriously injured while trying to put spikes in the road to stop the car being chased.
Police say they've made a lot of progress in the investigation but still have a few more questions about what happened.
"Right now one of the things we're trying to do is ID witnesses that were on Highway 66 between I-25 and Weld County Road 1 the day of the chase," said Longmont Police Cmdr. Jeff Satur.
Police arrested Chris Gebers, 27, of Federal Heights. They say he took off from a traffic stop. Gebers had lost his license and wasn't even supposed to be driving.
Gebers allegedly swerved to miss the sticks and hit the trooper. Police say Gebers then lost control and struck the cadet. Gebers claimed his emergency brake locked up and the accelerator was stuck.
"We know there were some cars on the road and we know that those cars got passed," said Satur.
Among those vehicles was a white landscaping truck and trailer. Longmont Police believe the driver may have seen an important part of the chase that could be critical to the investigation.
"The truck was passed on the right by the suspect and the suspect almost lost control," said Satur.
Gebers appeared in court on Wednesday where he was advised of the charges against him, including first-degree murder, vehicular homicide, reckless driving, driving with a suspended license. He remains in custody without bond.
"We don't want to leave any stones unturned. We know this was a dangerous action," said Satur.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call Longmont Police (303) 651-8555.
Additional Resources
A GoFundMe fund has been set up to support Rushing in his recovery, and Thyfault 's family.