SPRINGFIELD TWP., Hamilton County — Two people, including a Cincinnati-area police officer, were killed in a crash while the officer was responding to another call, according to police.
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Springfield Twp. Officer Tim Unwin, a 2-year veteran of the department was identified as the officer killed in the line of duty, Springfield Twp. Police Chief Rick Bley said during a news conference Friday morning. Unwin was 31-years-old, the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office told our news partners at WCPO-TV in Cincinnati.
A second driver, identified as William Dunson, 50, of Cincinnati, was also killed in the crash, according to police and the coroner’s office.
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The crash happened on U.S. 127, known on that stretch as Hamilton Avenue, just south of the Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway shortly after midnight, WCPO-TV reports. Unwin, along with other departments in Hamilton County were responding to a call for officer assistance.
The crash happened in the North College Hill neighborhood, which borders the Springfield Twp. jurisdiction.
“This is an extremely emotional and sad day for the family and friends of the two men who died, as well as the entire Springfield Twp. police department, and our community as a whole,” Bley said.
“We have received offers of support from many Hamilton County police agencies. I want to assure the public that the Springfield Twp. community is in good hands.”
Unwin was also identified as a former Hamilton police officer, also serving two years in the Butler County department before moving to Springfield Twp., Bley said.
“Civil society depends on selfless sacrifice, sometimes the ultimate sacrifice. We should never take their service for granted. My deepest condolences are with Officer Unwin’s family, fellow officers and the Springfield Township community,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement Friday afternoon.
Additional details were not available. We’ll update this story as we learn more.
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