Holly MatkinBaton Rouge, LA – Baton Rouge Police Corporal Shane Totty was killed in the line of duty on Friday, when his patrol motorcycle was struck by a truck as he was escorting a funeral procession.
The driver of the truck pulled out of an apartment complex in the 6400-block of Jones Creek Road at approximately 2:40 p.m., and slammed into Cpl. Totty, The Advocate reported.
Bystanders and fellow officers performed CPR until emergency medical personnel arrived at the scene, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
Cpl. Totty, 31, was rushed to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Charges are pending against the driver, but the exact nature of those charges has not yet been released.
“We’re going to look at all the evidence involved,” East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said, according to The Epoch Times. “A young man was involved in the accident, we’re going to have to wait for toxicology to come back from him.”
Cpl. Totty, who had been with the department for nearly five years, had just returned to duty a few months ago after he recovered from being shot in the face in the line of duty, The Advocate reported.
That incident occurred in February of 2018, after 34-year-old Eugene Thomas shot a friend and three family members, then sped away.
When Cpl. Totty spotted Thomas driving the vehicle a short while later, the gunman fired multiple rounds through the windshield of Cpl. Totty’s patrol vehicle.
Shrapnel and glass blasted the corporal in the face and eyes, and a bullet was later recovered from his headrest of his patrol car, The Epoch Times reported.
He suffered numerous complications due to his injuries, including a complete loss of vision in one of his eyes, according to The Advocate.
But with “remarkable inner strength and calmness,” Cpl. Totty recovered from his wounds, regained his vision, and asked to be reassigned to the department’s motorcycle unit, Baton Rouge Police Captain Don Kelly said.
“He loved motorcycles. That was his dream,” Capt. Kelly noted. “He was doing what he loved…It’s such a sad irony after what happened and everything he went through — it’s just cruel. It’s unbelievable. It’s heartbreaking.”
Just before the shooting, Cpl. Totty’s fiancé, Catty, gave birth to the couple’s daughter, Peyton. They were in the midst of planning their summer wedding when the fatal collision occurred.
“Life was good for him. He had survived this near-death experience and everything was positive and going his way,” Capt. Kelly said. “How tragic that everything could be taken away in the blink of an eye. We’re all hurting.”
Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston said that Cpl. Totty was “one of BRPD’s best and brightest young officers,” and that he was “wholly dedicated to serving the people of Baton Rouge,” The Advocate reported.
“Every day our men and women in blue put their lives on the line to protect the citizens of this great city,” the mayor continued. “Please keep his family, friends and fellow officers in your prayers during this extremely difficult time.”
“Our officers are mourning today,” Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul told The Advocate on Friday night. “This is a tragedy for us…He was a really bright young man. He had a bright future with the police department.”
Behind the Line Baton Rouge, an organization that helps officers and their families during crises, has established a fundraiser to assist Cpl. Totty’s widow and one-year-old daughter, WAFB reported.
“To leave a young wife and a young child like that, we ask that you remember him and his family in your prayers,” Sheriff Gautreaux said.
Cpl. Totty will be laid to rest on Thursday.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Baton Rouge Police Corporal Shane Totty, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.
Rest easy, hero. We’ll hold the line from here.