DC police officer killed in motorcycle crash in Virginia

A D.C. police officer was killed Wednesday in a motorcycle crash on Interstate 95 in Prince William County, Virginia.

The crash happened shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday near Exit 156 to Dale City, Virginia State Police said.

Virginia State Police said Nelson Casillas, 31, of Stafford Virginia, was on a 2007 Honda CBR1000 RR motorcycle traveling north at a high rate of speed when the motorcycle cut through the area where the exit ramp forks off from the highway and hit a crash barrier.

Casillas, who was wearing a helmet, was thrown from the motorcycle in the crash. Police said both he and debris from the motorcycle struck the back of a Honda SUV that was in the right exit lane.

Casillas died at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation.

D.C. identified Casillas as an eight-year member of the department in a post on Twitter.

Casillas is the second D.C. police officer to die in a motorcycle in the past two months. Sgt. Jin Park was killed April 21 in an early morning crash as he was heading home from his shift.

Jack Moore

Jack Moore joined WTOP.com as a digital writer/editor in July 2016. Previous to his current role, he covered federal government management and technology as the news editor at Nextgov.com, part of Government Executive Media Group.

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