Motorcade officer dies after crash

SOME SOMBER NEW DETAILS ABOUT THE DEADLY CRASH — DURING THE PRESIDENT S QUICK TRIP TO NEW MEXICO FOR A FUNDRAISER FOR THE FIRST TIME WE RE HEARING FROM PEOPLE WHO SAW OFFICER GERMAINE CASEY SHORTLY AFTER HE CRASHED HIS MOTORCYCLE INTO A TREE TONIGHT JOE VIGIL TALKED TO SOMEONE WHO WAS ACTUALLY RIDING IN THE PRESIDENTIAL MOTORCADE HE STARTS OFF OUR TEAM COVERAGE LIVE FROM THE SUNPORT RIGHT HERE IS WHERE OFFICER GERMAINE CASEY LOST HIS LIFE POLICE NOW PROMISE A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION AS PEOPLE NOW COME TO GRIPS WITH HIS DEATH THE FIRST RIO RANCHO DPS OFFICER–EVER– TO DIE IN THE LINE OF DUTY ONE MOMENT OFFICER GERMAINE CASEY WAS PROTECTING THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AS PART OF HIS MOTORCADE THE NEXT FELLOW OFFICERS RUSHED TO HELP HIM AFTER HE CRASHED We saw the motorcade s ambulance had already pulled over and had immediately saw the motorcyle on the ground KKOB REPORTER PETER ST CYR DROVE RIGHT BY THE CRASH HE WAS IN THE PRESIDENT S MOTORCADE—IN A VAN FOR MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA Our van window was down and heard one of the police officers say he has no pulse and no breath and immediately started to apply CPR to the officer SOMEONE ELSE DROVE RIGHT BY THE CRASH TOO PRESIDENT BUSH Just prior to the news conference I got off the phone with President Bush President Bush called to give his condolence to the officers family and our department SO WHAT WENT WRONG POLICE ARE NOW USING 3D TECHNOLOGY TO RECONSTRUCT WHAT HAPPENED The motorcycle did leave the roadway and the motorcycle did strike the tree AIRPORT TRAVELERS USE THIS ROAD TO LEAVE THE SUNPORT TERMINAL TODAY THE ROAD WAS CLOSED AS THE MOTORCADE TRAVELLED IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION ALBUQUERQUE POLICE TELL US TONIGHT THE SECURITY DETAIL DID MAKE A PRACTICE RUN ON THE ROAD BUT DON T KNOW EXACLY WHEN THEY THINK POSSIBLY WITHIN THE LAST COUPLE DAYS POLICE SAY OFFICER CASEY WAS PART OF THAT PRACTICE RUN OFFICERS SHOWED UP AT UNM HOSPITAL — WHERE OFFICER CASEY DIED BACK AT THE SCENE AN APD CHAPLAIN MADE THE ROUNDS FOR ANY OFFICER WHO NEEDED TO TALK ABOUT A FELLOW OFFICER — A HUSBAND AND FATHER OF TWO TEENAGERS WHO DIDN T RETURN HOME TODAY WE LEARNED TONIGHT THAT PRESIDENT BUSH CALLED OFFICER CASEY S WIFE TO EXPRESS HIS CONDOLENCES AND IN A STATEMENT RELEASED BY THE WHITE HOUSE TONIGHT THE PRESIDENT SAID HE IS DEEPLY SADDENED BY OFFICER CASEY S DEATH AND EXTRAORDINARILY GRATEFUL FOR HIS PROTECTION AND HE WILL ALWAYS BE INDEBTED TO OFFICER CASEY S SERVICE A YEAR-AND-A- HALF AGO ANOTHER NEW MEXICO OFFICER WAS HURT IN A PRESIDENTIAL MOTORCADE CRASH BERNALILLO SERGEANT JERRY NIXON HIT THE CENTER MEDIAN ON I-25 AND CRASHED INTO A GUARD RAIL NIXON BROKE HIS NOSE AND HAD A SERIOUS CASE OF ROAD RASH THE PRESIDENT WAS HERE TAKING PART IN A MATH AND SCIENCE FORUM AT INTEL GERMAINE CASEY S FELLOW OFFICERS ARE GRIEVING TONIGHT AND SO TOO ARE MEMBERS OF TWO OTHER TEAMS HE WAS PART OF ONE ANOTHER POLICE FORCE AND THE SECOND A BASEBALL SQUAD SHELTON DODSON CONTINUES OUR TEAM COVERAGE WITH THAT PART OF THE STORY SHELTON GERMAINE CASEY SPENT THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS PLAYING FOR THE NEW MEXICO METS THE BEST TEAM IN THE NEW MEXICO MEN S ADULT BASEBALL LEAGUE HIS MANAGER SAYS — EVEN THOUGH HE HAD ONLY PLAYED ON THE CLUB TWO YEARS — HIS PERFORMANCE WAS ALREADY BEING CALLED LEGENDARY WHEN 40-YEAR- OLD GERMAINE CASEY WASN T WEARING A POLICE UNIFORM YOU WOULD OFTEN SEE HIM IN A BASEBALL UNIFORM HE WAS A STAR PLAYER FOR THE NEW MEXICO METS — AN AMATEUR BASEBALL TEAM BASED OUT OF NORTHERN NEW MEXICO HIS MANAGER DESCRIBED CASEY AS AN EXTRAORDINARY OFFENSIVE PLAYER BATTING WELL OVER 500 IN BOTH OF HIS SEASONS WITH THE TEAM BASEBALL HAD ALWAYS BEEN IN CASEY S BLOOD HE WAS DRAFTED RIGHT OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL AND SPENT TIME IN THE ATLANTA BRAVES MINOR LEAGUE ORGANIZATION NEWS OF HIS DEATH DEVASTATED HIS MANAGER WHO CALLED CASEY AND WONDERFUL TEAMMATE AND EVEN BETTER FRIEND BEFORE CASEY JOINED THE RIO RANCHO FORCE HE SERVED TWO YEARS WITH THE U-N-M POLICE DEPARTMENT A SPOKESMAN SAYS THEY TOO ARE STUNNED BY HIS DEATH AND TODAY THE CHIEF RELEASED THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT QUOTE - HE WAS A MAN OF INTEGRITY AND ALWAYS DEMONSTRATED INITIATIVE HE RECEIVED NUMEROUS LETTERS OF APPRECIATION AND COMMENDATIONS FROM SUPERVISORS AND FROM THE PUBLIC WE EXTEND SINCERE CONDOLENCES TO OFFICER CASEY S FAMILY AND TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE RIO RANCHO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY WHEN I BROKE THE NEWS TO CASEY S BASEBALL MANAGER EARLY THIS AFTERNOON HE WAS TRULY IN DISBELIEF HE VERY POLITELY ASKED US NOT TO CALL ANY OF THE OTHER TEAM MEMBERS HE WANTED TO DO THAT HIMSELF SO THEY COULD GRIEVE AS A TEAM