Midtncop
11-01-2004, 21:48
Mike Maple/The Commercial Appeal
Metro Gang Unit officer Timothy Dunn was on his way to Bartlett High School early Friday morning to tell students why they should avoid gangs and violence. But he never arrived.
Dunn, 40, of Arlington, died when his cruiser collided with a pickup driven by a teenage girl at U.S. 70 and Brunswick Road, a frequent crash site.
Shana Odo, 17, and her sister, Grace, 15, were not seriously injured in the 6 a.m. crash, but Dunn died at the scene.
The girls, who were headed to classes at Bolton High School, were treated at Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center and released.
"This is a tragic day for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office," said Sheriff Mark Luttrell.
Brunswick is a winding, narrow road that intersects with traffic-heavy U.S. 70 at a rise where visibility is poor. The intersection is familiar to county and state police, said Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Shular.
The Sheriff's Department has investigated 10 accidents there this year. "There may have been others, but the state does not keep records" on wrecks at specific intersections, Shular said.
Brunswick Road is heavily traveled by students to and from Bolton High, the county's largest school, which lies 61/2 miles to the north.
Shular said deputies have investigated numerous accidents -- none serious -- along Brunswick in recent months. "Most accidents have been caused by teenage drivers following too closely," he said.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol will report its investigative findings to the Shelby County District Attorney General's Office, said Tennessee Department of Safety spokesman Beth Denton in Nashville.
Commander Larry Young, who is in charge of the Arlington Sheriff's Department Substation, said Dunn was westbound on U.S. 70 when he met the east-bound, late-model red truck.
"The (pickup) T-boned the side of the squad car," said Young. "It was a frontal side impact."
He pointed to large orange circles drawn onto the pavement, under the traffic light, and said it appeared the pickup was turning north onto Brunswick.
There was no preliminary indication of speed, Young said. The mangled cruiser came to rest in a ditch a few feet away from the point of impact. The pickup stopped in the middle of the intersection with its front end demolished.
Gang Unit officers were to meet at Bartlett High at 6:30 a.m. for their talk, said Dunn's partner, Steve Bierbrodt.
When Dunn didn't appear, officers joked that he must have overslept. About 10 minutes later, they learned the truth.
"I was in disbelief," said Bierbrodt. "He was supposed to be standing right beside me, not still in that car."
Bierbrodt, who wore a black mourning band over his deputy's badge, said Dunn was like a brother: They would argue one minute, joke the next.
Dunn joined the force in 1997. He was a dedicated officer who was always on call, and willing to help others, colleagues said.
He was the brother of Mitch Dunn, operations auditor for the Sheriff's Department.
Dunn attended Hope Presbyterian Church, where services are at 11 a.m. Tuesday with burial in Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorial Park Funeral Home has charge.
Dunn loved golf, decorating his home for the holidays with wife, Michelle, and football.
"He was an outgoing individual, a practical joker, but he took his Dallas Cowboys seriously," said former boss Capt. Mark Dunbar.
"If you wanted to aggravate him, you would talk about the losses the Cowboys were having," he said.
Patrolman Chris Harris, a former neighbor when Dunn lived in Cordova, said his friend's death was a "a great loss of a great dedicated officer."
Harris shook his head, his face solemn.
"It's been tough," he said. "Anytime you lose a friend like that, and an officer of that caliber, it is tough."
Visitation:
Monday, November 1, 2004
Memorial Park Funeral Home at 5668 Poplar
5 p.m. through 8:00 p.m.
Funeral:
Tuesday, November 2, 2004
Hope Presbyterian Church at 8500 Walnut Grove Road
11:00 a.m.
Burial to follow at Memorial Park Cemetery
Metro Gang Unit officer Timothy Dunn was on his way to Bartlett High School early Friday morning to tell students why they should avoid gangs and violence. But he never arrived.
Dunn, 40, of Arlington, died when his cruiser collided with a pickup driven by a teenage girl at U.S. 70 and Brunswick Road, a frequent crash site.
Shana Odo, 17, and her sister, Grace, 15, were not seriously injured in the 6 a.m. crash, but Dunn died at the scene.
The girls, who were headed to classes at Bolton High School, were treated at Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center and released.
"This is a tragic day for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office," said Sheriff Mark Luttrell.
Brunswick is a winding, narrow road that intersects with traffic-heavy U.S. 70 at a rise where visibility is poor. The intersection is familiar to county and state police, said Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Shular.
The Sheriff's Department has investigated 10 accidents there this year. "There may have been others, but the state does not keep records" on wrecks at specific intersections, Shular said.
Brunswick Road is heavily traveled by students to and from Bolton High, the county's largest school, which lies 61/2 miles to the north.
Shular said deputies have investigated numerous accidents -- none serious -- along Brunswick in recent months. "Most accidents have been caused by teenage drivers following too closely," he said.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol will report its investigative findings to the Shelby County District Attorney General's Office, said Tennessee Department of Safety spokesman Beth Denton in Nashville.
Commander Larry Young, who is in charge of the Arlington Sheriff's Department Substation, said Dunn was westbound on U.S. 70 when he met the east-bound, late-model red truck.
"The (pickup) T-boned the side of the squad car," said Young. "It was a frontal side impact."
He pointed to large orange circles drawn onto the pavement, under the traffic light, and said it appeared the pickup was turning north onto Brunswick.
There was no preliminary indication of speed, Young said. The mangled cruiser came to rest in a ditch a few feet away from the point of impact. The pickup stopped in the middle of the intersection with its front end demolished.
Gang Unit officers were to meet at Bartlett High at 6:30 a.m. for their talk, said Dunn's partner, Steve Bierbrodt.
When Dunn didn't appear, officers joked that he must have overslept. About 10 minutes later, they learned the truth.
"I was in disbelief," said Bierbrodt. "He was supposed to be standing right beside me, not still in that car."
Bierbrodt, who wore a black mourning band over his deputy's badge, said Dunn was like a brother: They would argue one minute, joke the next.
Dunn joined the force in 1997. He was a dedicated officer who was always on call, and willing to help others, colleagues said.
He was the brother of Mitch Dunn, operations auditor for the Sheriff's Department.
Dunn attended Hope Presbyterian Church, where services are at 11 a.m. Tuesday with burial in Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorial Park Funeral Home has charge.
Dunn loved golf, decorating his home for the holidays with wife, Michelle, and football.
"He was an outgoing individual, a practical joker, but he took his Dallas Cowboys seriously," said former boss Capt. Mark Dunbar.
"If you wanted to aggravate him, you would talk about the losses the Cowboys were having," he said.
Patrolman Chris Harris, a former neighbor when Dunn lived in Cordova, said his friend's death was a "a great loss of a great dedicated officer."
Harris shook his head, his face solemn.
"It's been tough," he said. "Anytime you lose a friend like that, and an officer of that caliber, it is tough."
Visitation:
Monday, November 1, 2004
Memorial Park Funeral Home at 5668 Poplar
5 p.m. through 8:00 p.m.
Funeral:
Tuesday, November 2, 2004
Hope Presbyterian Church at 8500 Walnut Grove Road
11:00 a.m.
Burial to follow at Memorial Park Cemetery