Flint police captain killed Friday in head-on collision with wrong-way driver
The Flint Police Department confirmed that Flint Police Capt. Collin Birnie died in a traffic crash Friday night.
The crash occurred about 6 p.m. on Elms Road in Mount Morris Township during Birnie's drive home after the end of his shift, according to a report by MLive and The Flint Journal.
The Flint Police Department confirmed the loss in a post late Friday on Facebook. The Flint Police Department and Mount Morris Police Department could not be immediately reached for comment.
MLive reported that Birnie's vehicle was hit head-on by one that lost control and entered the opposing traffic lanes. The other driver in the crash was a juvenile.
Birnie was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead,MLive reported. Information on the juvenile was not immediately available.
Birnie served with the Flint Police Department for 26 years, Flint police stated in the Facebook post Friday
Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley called Birnie a "well-respected leader that took pride in serving and protecting the residents of Flint and Genesee County" in a statement posted to the city's Facebook page.
Detroit Police Chief James White also marked the loss in a statement, saying “On behalf of the Detroit Police Department, I send my heartfelt and deepest condolences to the families and friends of Flint Police Captain Collin Birnie."
University of Michigan-Flint Department of Public Safety wrote of Birnie in a Facebook comment: "He could always be counted on. A true professional."
Birnie served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1988-92, according to an online biography for his role on the executive committee for the Police Officers Labor Council
He was also an "avid outdoorsman" who enjoyed hunting and fishing, according to the biography.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Flint police Capt. Collin Birnie died in traffic crash Friday
