The two met in the police academy in 2012, when they both joined.
June 5, 2021, 5:51 AM
• 4 min read
Share to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleTwo of the three people killed in a car crash in San Diego Friday have been identified as married detectives Jamie Huntley-Park and Ryan Park, police said.
The San Diego Police Department made the announcement at a press conference Friday night.
"Detectives Jamie Huntley-Park & Ryan Park touched countless lives in our department and our community. Thank you to everyone who has reached out today," they wrote on Twitter. "We ask that you keep the Huntley & Park families in your thoughts and prayers. Rest Easy."
The couple died after their car was hit by a driver going the wrong way down Interstate 5 near the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a statement from the police department.
Huntley-Park, 33, was a successful hockey player, a hockey referee coach and had even refereed Olympic trial games, San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit said at the press conference Friday, adding, "She was an outstanding officer and detective who was assigned to our southern division."
Park, 32, was a "remarkable patrol officer, who quickly assembled through ranks and became a homicide detective assigned to team one of our homicide team," Nisleit said.
The two met in the police academy in April of 2012, when they both joined, and were coincidentally promoted to the rank of detective together, Nisleit said. They got married in February 2016.
Nisleit described the police department as "one huge family" and said losing two detectives, "It hurts, it hurts the department. It hurts the community. It hurts the city."
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria also spoke at the press conference and expressed his grief over the detectives' deaths.
"Jamie and Ryan spent their lives serving the city, protecting the city. And so, I express my appreciation to both of them for their service and sacrifice to the city and to the people who live here," he said. "Again I extend my condolences on behalf of a grateful city, to their families."
The California Highway Patrol is continuing its investigation into the crash.
ABC News' Rayquan Taylor contributed to this report.
