Oklahoma City police officer, mentor to local youth killed overnight in off-duty car crash

An Oklahoma City police officer was killed in a car accident early Thursday morning while heading home after work.

Sgt. Meagan Burke, 31, was driving north on Interstate 44 near SW 44 when she was struck head-on by a southbound vehicle that had swerved left and gone over the center guardrail, according to a police statement. Burke, who had served with the department since May 2016, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the southbound vehicle sustained non-life-threatening injuries, and police said the investigation is in the early stages.

"It felt like a huge punch in the gut, a big bomb," said retired Lt. Wayland Cubit, who knew Burke through her volunteer service with the department's Youth Leadership Academy, about learning of Burke's death. "I lost a friend, obviously. But the work that she was doing was so impactful. It just feels like a big bomb."

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According to tweets from Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt and Police Chief Wade Gourley, Burke was driving home from work when the deadly crash occurred.

"This is devastating & sad news," Holt said in his tweet. "We send our deepest condolences to the officer’s family. The officer’s family and OCPD are in our prayers today."

Who was OCPD's Sgt. Meagan Burke?

According to a Facebook post from the local police union, Burke was "a great co-worker" and had served as a patrol officer for the Springlake Division before transferring to the highway interdiction unit and most recently returned to patrol as a field training officer for the Santa Fe Division.

Oklahoma City police tweeted body camera footage from when Burke recently responded to an arson and helped evacuate a building on fire.

She served her community off the streets, too.

When Cubit, who retired from the department earlier this year, was seeking mentors for students participating in the Oklahoma City Police Department's Youth Leadership Academy, Burke's "name came up over and over again." It wasn't an opportunity for extra pay or overtime, just something officers could do on their own time, and Cubit said Burke was all in.

Burke, who worked nights on patrol, never missed a class or event and would often show up with little to no sleep, Cubit said. She would give the students rides, and work with them on weekends and days off.

"It was unbelievable how much she sacrificed for those kids," Cubit said.

Burke helped change youth perspectives on police

Elise Thompson, a graduate of Dove Science Academy and of the 2019-20 Youth Leadership Academy, said she will always remember the way Burke helped her overcome her shyness during the class.

"She noticed that I was off to the side," Thompson said. "And she really helped me open up and get to know the rest of the officers and my other class members. She told me it was OK to ... be shy, but to put myself out there."

Thompson said she shed many tears on Thursday for Burke, whose death put her "in disbelief" and "shock." Burke was a mentor and a friend, who would take Thompson and other students out to eat. After the class was over, they stayed in touch and Thompson said she knew she could always go to Burke if she needed someone to talk to.

As an African American who grew up on Oklahoma City's east side, Thompson said she didn't always have a positive view of the police. Through her interactions with Burke and other officers in the program, she gained a new perspective.

"She helped me realize that most officers at the end of the day, they're just trying to do their job, and they actually are here to protect and serve," Thompson said. "And I witnessed her do that."

After the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd in May of 2020, Burke organized Zoom meetings with students who were struggling with questions about law enforcement.

Cubit said Burke had a "promising future" ahead of her, and he was looking forward to following her career.

"(Burke was) somebody that I felt like understood the importance of law enforcement and community engagement, working together," Cubit said. "She got it, she understood it. She was going to be a leader to help pass that down."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC police officer killed in car crash while off-duty