Metro officer and another man dead after wrong-way crash on I-15 northeast of Las Vegas
Metropolitan Police Department officers embraced one another outside the Clark County coroner’s office at the end of a procession honoring Officer Colton Pulsipher, 29, who died in a crash with a wrong-way driver on Thursday morning.
Pulsipher was heading home in his vehicle after a shift when a wrong-way driver hit him, according to Metro.
The crash was reported just after 12:25 a.m. on northbound Interstate 15 and mile marker 75, near the Valley of Fire/Tribal Plaza Exit, according to a Nevada Highway Patrol release.
Pulsipher and another man died at the scene, and a woman was transported by Mercy Air with injuries that were not life-threatening.
Police said Pulsipher was assigned to the traffic bureau’s tourist safety division. He leaves behind his wife, Ashlee, and their three children: Carlee, 5, Brett, 2, and Jonny, 11 months, according to a memorial page by Behind the Blue, a nonprofit dedicated to provide relief to Southern Nevada Law Enforcement.
“This unimaginable loss has left his family grieving and in need of our support during this difficult time,” the page, which was shared on Metro’s Facebook, reads.
On Thursday afternoon, a procession of officers rode from the scene of the crash to the coroner’s office. They were joined by Pulsipher’s family, including children.
Police also set up an area in the lobby of Northeast Area Command to mourn and pay respects to Pulsipher. The area will remain open to the public on Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Pulsipher’s funeral, according to Metro’s Facebook.
‘Great family man’
Alana Reeb became close to Pulsipher when he was a missionary in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Denver area.
He was born in the Moapa Valley, she said, and was “like a son” to her. She said he was adventurous, loved to sing and had a great sense of humor. He was also a “great family man,” she said, and cared deeply for others.
She thinks that may be part of a reason he became an officer. “When you care about people and you love guns, that’s kind of a good way to go,” Reeb said.
“He still lives in our hearts,” she added.
Officials also mourned Pulsipher.
“It’s never easy to lose a brother from the department, whether on duty or off duty,” said Steven Grammas, president of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, the union that represents Metro officers, including Pulsipher.
Grammas said he knew Pulsipher through the union, which represented him in a use of force case. “He was a really nice kid,” Grammas said.
“This is a tragic, heartbreaking loss,” Gov. Joe Lombardo wrote in a post on X Thursday morning.
Police said in a news release that the department was “mourning the loss” of Pulsipher.
In a statement on X, the FBI’s Las Vegas office offered condolences for his “tragic passing.”
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X. Contact Tony Garcia at tgarcia@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307. Follow @TonyGLVNews on X.