Sunday, December 10, 2023

Newport News Police officer killed after being dragged by car during traffic stop

Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew speaks during a news conference Thursday. (WYDaily/Courtesy of 13NewsNow)
Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew speaks during a news conference Thursday. (WYDaily/Courtesy of 13NewsNow)

The Newport News Police Department is mourning one of their own – an officer died from her injuries after being dragged by a car during a traffic stop.

Authorities said it happened Thursday at around 6:47 p.m. in the 1400 block of 16th Street.

Police Chief Steve Drew during an emotional news conference Friday identified the officer as Katie Thyne. She was 24 years old.

Thyne pulled over a vehicle there. Police said at some point, the driver of the car “accelerated, dragging the officer.”

The vehicle fled the scene and crashed nearby in the area of 16th Street and Walnut Avenue. The driver, identified as Vernon Green II, was taken into custody after the crash.

He is charged with homicide and disregard of a lawful command.

Thyne was taken to the hospital, where she later died of her injuries.

She has been with the Newport News Police Department since 2018.

Drew said Thyne was a hero and a U.S. Navy veteran who left behind a 2-year-old daughter and a loving partner.

John Mangalonzo
John Mangalonzohttp://wydaily.com
John Mangalonzo (john@localdailymedia.com) is the managing editor of Local Voice Media’s Virginia papers – WYDaily (Williamsburg), Southside Daily (Virginia Beach) and HNNDaily (Hampton-Newport News). Before coming to Local Voice, John was the senior content editor of The Bellingham Herald, a McClatchy newspaper in Washington state. Previously, he served as city editor/content strategist for USA Today Network newsrooms in St. George and Cedar City, Utah. John started his professional journalism career shortly after graduating from Lyceum of The Philippines University in 1990. As a rookie reporter for a national newspaper in Manila that year, John was assigned to cover four of the most dangerous cities in Metro Manila. Later that year, John was transferred to cover the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines. He spent the latter part of 1990 to early 1992 embedded with troopers in the southern Philippines as they fought with communist rebels and Muslim extremists. His U.S. journalism career includes reporting and editing stints for newspapers and other media outlets in New York City, California, Texas, Iowa, Utah, Colorado and Washington state.

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