Florence, AL – State of Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) Senior Trooper Jason Hewett was fatally struck by a motorist while he was out jogging on Tuesday morning.

Trooper Hewett, 34, was running along County Road 137 at approximately 8:55 a.m., when the driver of a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado slammed into him, The Birmingham News reported.

He was pronounced dead at the scene by Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Deputy Coroner Mike Bishop, according to the Times Daily.

The driver of the pickup was not injured in the collision, and the cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Police said the trooper’s death was a tragic accident, according to the Times Daily.

Tuscumbia Police Chief Tony Logan, who taught Trooper Hewett while he was studying criminal justice at the University of North Alabama (UNA), said he knew early on that the trooper would have a successful career as a law enforcement officer.

“He was a straight A student who wanted to learn all he could about law enforcement,” Chief Logan said. “Criminal justice just came natural to him.”

After obtaining his degree, Trooper Hewett attended the Alabama State Trooper Academy, and graduated in 2006, the ALEA said in a Facebook post.

He was subsequently assigned to the Highway Patrol Division’s Quad Cities Trooper Post in Lauderdale County.

Florence attorney Tim Case said he has been friends with Trooper Hewett and his family for many years, the Times Daily reported.

“Jason was one of the good ones,” Case said. “He believed in what he was doing, he believed in helping others, and he had the utmost in integrity as a person and law enforcement officer.”

Case said Trooper Hewett took his job very seriously, and that he had testified in many of the cases Case was involved in.

“Over the years…we have gotten to know each other well,” the attorney said. “Jason was a friend to me and I was honored by that.”

According to Case, Trooper Hewett was well-known as an expert in his field, especially with regards to impaired driving cases.

“He was one of, if not the first, officer in Alabama to be certified as a drug recognition expert,” he added.

Chief Logan described Trooper Hewett as a “people person,” and said he had “the kind of personality that drew people to him.”

“He was a good man and will be missed greatly,” the chief said.

Trooper Hewett leaves behind his wife and four children, according to social media posts from his friends and family.

“My heart breaks for them and for the loss we have all suffered by his death,” Case told the Times Daily.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of State of Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Senior Trooper Jason Hewett, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.

Rest easy, hero. We’ll hold the line from here.