Rookie Seattle police officer killed in crash

A Seattle police officer just weeks away from starting his career as a new patrolman was killed Tuesday morning while driving to work.

Officer Michael E. Kelley, a 26-year-old Army veteran, was on his way to the department's South Seattle training complex when his Honda Civic struck a shoulder barrier on northbound Interstate 5 near Boeing Field. Kelley's car spun before being struck on the driver's-side door by a Ford pickup, according to the State Patrol.

The State Patrol said it appeared Kelley had been trying to make an unsafe lane change when he struck the barrier. Kelley was unconscious when pulled from his car, and medics performed CPR on him while they drove him to Harborview Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, said David Ewing, a battalion chief with the Tukwila Fire Department. Adam Kurczych, 54, the pickup's driver, was taken to Valley Medical Center in Renton for minor injuries that he suffered in the 6:54 a.m. crash.

Seattle police Chief Gil Kerlikowske said Kelley graduated from the police academy Aug. 16 and was "extremely excited" about becoming a police officer. Kelley is survived by his wife, Kendall, who is five months pregnant, and a 2-year-old daughter.