Philadelphia, MS – Philadelphia Police Department Officer Leann Simpson died in the line of duty on Saturday, when her patrol vehicle struck a light pole and rolled multiple times as she was responding to help her fellow officers on a traffic stop.

The incident occurred at approximately 2 a.m., after 911 Communications was unable to make contact with Neshoba County Sheriff’s Department deputies while they were out on a traffic stop on Mississippi 16, The Neshoba Democrat reported.

Officer Simpson, 23, was on her way to help the deputies when her patrol vehicle careened out of control near the Beacon Street Baptist Church, Philadelphia Police Chief Grant Myers told the paper.

The patrol car slammed into a light pole, then flipped several times.

“[The] streets were wet,” Philadelphia Mayor James Young told WTOK. “When you get wet streets and a little speed sometimes you lose it. Apparently, that’s what happened to her. She just lost control of the vehicle.”

The exact cause of the collision remains under investigation.

Officer Simpson, a U.S. Army veteran, served the department for 15 months.

“Leann was an outstanding young officer with a promising career,” Chief Myers told The Neshoba Democrat. “Our law enforcement community is devastated.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” the chief said.

“We are going to miss her. We are going to miss her presence and her love for this job,” Young told WTOK. “My officers and fire department are all like family to me. I feel like I lost a part of my family this morning.”

“We will try to move on and we will, but we will be moving on without a great person,” Young added.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Philadelphia Police Department Officer Leann Simpson, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.

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