Chief: Slain MIT officer Sean Collier was dedicated, well liked
April 19, 2013 11:20AM
This image obtained from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) shows MIT Patrol Officer Sean A. Collier, 26, who MIT has identified as the the police officer killed in the line of duty on April 18, 2013. Responding to a disturbance on the MIT campus, Collier was shot after confronting two gunmen and died later at a local hospital, according to MIT officials. The two gunmen were later identified by authorities as the suspects sought in the April 15 Boston Marathon bombing. bombing == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE / MANDATORY CREDIT: "AFP PHOTO / Massachusetts Institute of Technology / NO SALES / NO MARKETING / NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS / DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS ==-/AFP/Getty Images
Updated: April 19, 2013 11:20AM
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Sean Collier had only worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for about a year. But he was already popular with his colleagues in the campus police department, as well as with students, often joining them on hiking and skiing trips.
Authorities say the 26-year-old Collier was shot and killed by the Boston Marathon bombing suspects.
MIT says Collier was a Wilmington native and Somerville resident who had worked at MIT since January 2012. Before that, he was a civilian employee of the Somerville Police Department.
MIT Chief John DiFava says Collier was a dedicated officer, liked by his colleagues and the MIT community.
MIT President L. Rafael Reif says Collier’s loss is “deeply painful.”
Collier was found shot several times in his vehicle at about 10:30 p.m. Thursday.
