Nicholas William Skitzki, 20, has been charged in connection with a car crash that resulted in the death of Tucson police officer Adam Buckner, 31, who was responding to an emergency call at the time of the incident. Skitzki faces a misdemeanor charge of death by a moving violation, along with two civil traffic infractions for failure to yield while turning left at an intersection and failure to yield to an authorized emergency vehicle.

The collision occurred on March 31 near the University of Arizona campus, where Skitzki’s sedan allegedly failed to yield while turning left, causing Buckner’s patrol car to collide with it and then strike a traffic signal pole. Buckner, who had the right of way with his siren and lights on, later died at a hospital.

Skitzki was cited and released on April 24 and is scheduled for arraignment on May 7 in Tucson City Court. Buckner’s death marks the ninth officer fatality in the line of duty for the Tucson Police Department, and Buckner himself had recently joined the department in 2021 after starting his law enforcement career with the New Orleans Police Department in 2017.