Police Officer Runs Over And Kills Man In Road

Police in Massachusetts say an officer responding to an emergency call ran over and apparently killed a man lying in a road early New Year's Day.

Police in Chatham, a town on Cape Cod, say the incident happened at about 4 a.m. Thursday. The victim was identified as 22-year-old Garrett Gagne, of Longmeadow. He was pronounced dead at Cape Cod Hospital. The officer, who has not been identified, immediately stopped and called for help when he realized he had hit Gagne, police said Thursday. State and local police are investigating.

Gagne was a senior government major and lacrosse player for St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. The university set up a memorial website to Gagne on Thursday. In a statement, St. Lawrence President William Fox said the university will hold a tribute for Garrett when classes resume.

"When Mike Mahoney, Garrett's lacrosse coach, contacted me this morning, he told me, `Garrett was close to all of us on the team-a leader, mentor, and friend. His smile and enthusiasm were contagious. He could light up the field and sidelines with his personality. This sudden and shocking loss touches every one of us who knew him as one of our best," Fox wrote in the statement.

Police say they don't know why Gagne was lying in the road or what his condition was before the accident. They say he was in Chatham to celebrate New Year's Eve with friends.

Gagne was also a standout athlete in Massachusetts, according to Fox's statement. He captained both the lacrosse and ski racing teams at Longmeadow High School, where he was a three-time All-Scholastic honoree. He was also a two-time Massachusetts state champion in ski racing.