A young man has been slapped with charges in a tragic car crash that snuffed out the life of Tucson Police Officer Adam Buckner, authorities relayed on Wednesday. The March incident which involved a collision at an intersection near the University of Arizona campus ended with the officer succumbing to his injuries at a hospital.

Charged is Nicholas William Skitzki, a 20-year-old accused of a misdemeanor for death by a moving violation, alongside a pair of civil traffic infractions that include failing to yield while turning left and failure to yield to an authorized emergency vehicle. The suspect was cited and released last month on April 24, FOX 10 Phoenix reported. His arraignment at the Tucson City Court is set for May 7.

Attempts to reach Skitzki for comments were fruitless, as a phone message went unreturned and court documents did not reveal whether he had obtained representation. Officer Buckner, at 31, met his end after his patrol car, blaring sirens and with lights flashing in response to an emergency call, was granted the right of way, but Skitzki's sedan allegedly failed to yield during a turn.

The force from the crash was so intense that it hurled Buckner's vehicle into a traffic signal pole, according to the police statement, as FOX10 Phoenix detailed. Buckner's death marked the ninth loss of an officer in the line of duty within the department's record books. Before his service in Tucson, which began in 2021, Buckner cut his law enforcement teeth with the New Orleans Police Department in 2017, eventually rising to the rank of detective, U.S. News reported.

Community members and colleagues alike remember Buckner as a dedicated public servant who quickly ascended to the role of lead officer for Tucson’s midtown district. Now, the city mourns as justice takes its course in a courtroom.