Crookston, MN – U.S. Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection Collection Operations Manager Christopher Bacon was killed in the line of duty on June 7, when his department-issued vehicle collided with the back of a tractor-trailer.

Manager Bacon, 51, was driving a 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe along Highway 2 at approximately 12:30 p.m., when he rear-ended a 2013 Peterbilt Glider 389 approximately 6 miles east of Crookston, the Minnesota State Highway Patrol said, according to the Grand Forks Herald.

The driver of the tractor trailer was uninjured, but Manager Bacon died of his injuries.

No alcohol was involved in the collision, and both drivers were wearing their safety belts, police said.

Manager Bacon, a U.S. Army veteran, was a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and was assigned to the Office of Intelligence Collection in Grand Forks, North Dakota, at the time of his death, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.

“Chris served his country in many forms over the last 31 years,” his obituary read. “He was proud, grateful, and humble to serve his family and the United States of America. While his gifts he gave us may go at times unrecognized, we will always be impacted by the legacy he leaves behind. Thank you, Chris for your service!”

Manager Bacon is survived by his wife, Rhonda, and his four children – Bobby, Jake, Kristen, and Jasmine – as well as his parents, sister, and extended friends and family members.

He was laid to rest on Thursday.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection Collection Operations Manager Christopher Bacon, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.

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