Mount Vernon police officer Ivan Lopez killed in Summerdale traffic accident

SUMMERDALE, Ala. (WALA) - A Mount Vernon police officer was killed in a two-vehicle wreck Monday evening in Summerdale.

At midday Tuesday, the Mount Vernon police chief released the name of the officer -- Ivan Lopez, an officer who “loved the community and the community loved him,” Chief C. Duncan Herrington said in a statement.

The accident occurred Monday just after 7:30 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 59 and Baldwin County Road 36, closing Highway 59 for a time.

According to Summerdale Police Chief Kevin Brock the driver of the pickup truck was driving at a “ridiculous speed” and ran a stop sign impacting the officer’s vehicle. The occupants of the pickup truck were taken to the hospital and their condition is unknown at this time.

The Mount Vernon police chief was on the scene of the accident Monday night. Summerdale police are investigating, and troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Highway Patrol Division are assisting with the investigation.

Herrington issued the following statement Tuesday:

“It is with a heavy heart that I as a Chief have to type this release. On August 22, 2022 Officer Ivan Lopez was ending his tour of duty and on his way home. Tragically Officer Lopez was killed in a traffic collision. The Town of Mount Vernon and the Police Department are a very close knit group. We have lost one of our own. I would personally like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Chief Brock and all of the Summerdale Police Officers and First Responders. The care and concern these folks handled the scene with would have made all of our Law Enforcement Family proud. To Sheriff Mack and the Baldwin County SO thank you! Sheriff Mack has been instrumental in coordinating the efforts to pay honor and respect to Officer Lopez and his family. I would also like to thank ALEA, Foley, Robertsdale, Mobile and the Mobile County SO. All of these agencies and more have already begun to assist Mount Vernon and Officer Lopez’s family. FBI Mobile and many other agencies in Mobile, Baldwin, Washington and Clarke Counties have reached out to offer assistance. Officer Lopez is a 12 year veteran of Law Enforcement and had found his niche in Mount Vernon. He loved the community and the community loved him. Officer Lopez will not be able to be replaced due to his efforts to make Mount Vernon Police Department better for our citizens. His love of people was evident and his heart of service was extraordinary! Arrangements have not been made as of yet, but as soon as they are we will release them. As far as the traffic investigation is concerned I have full confidence in Chief Brock and the Summerdale Police Department. We are assisting Summerdale in anyway we can, but we will not be releasing any facts to the case as it is still under investigation by Summerdale and the Baldwin County DA’s office. I again want to thank the community and surrounding areas for their condolences, thoughts and prayers. We never heal from these situations, we simply have to learn a new way to live. Officer Lopez embodied what it meant to be a social service worker with a heart for people and animals. Therefore, if I could express anything positive out of this tragedy, it would be to learn from the example Officer Lopez set by his love of others.”

Attorney General Steve Marshall issued the following statement upon learning of the death of Officer Ivan Lopez of the Mt. Vernon Police Department of Mobile County on Monday night.

“It is with sadness that we receive word of the loss of another in Alabama’s law enforcement community. Officer Ivan Lopez of the Mt. Vernon Police Department succumbed to his injuries after his patrol car was struck by a vehicle which reportedly crossed the intersection of Highway 59 and County Road 36 at a high rate of speed, ignoring a stop sign. Officer Lopez was about to end his shift and was traveling home in his police vehicle at the time of the accident which occurred at approximately 7:30 pm in Summerdale in Baldwin County.

“Officer Lopez’s passing marks the ninth Alabama law enforcement death in 2022 and we believe the first line of duty death for the Mt. Vernon Police Department. I join all Alabama law enforcement in mourning the loss of Officer Lopez and in offering condolences to his family and colleagues.”

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