Police officer in South Carolina killed by Amtrak train while rescuing someone who called 911

EASLEY, S.C. (AP) — A police officer in South Carolina was struck and killed by an Amtrak train Wednesday as he was saving someone who had called 911, authorities said.

A person on the tracks near downtown Easley who was having a mental health crisis first called 911 around 5 a.m., Easley Police Lt. Ashley Anderson said. Officer Matthew Hare, 22, and his partner found the person about an hour later.

It was not clear exactly how Hare came to be struck by the train, but Anderson said at a news conference that he “died saving the life of someone he did not know. Officer Hare was a hero.”

Hare’s partner and the person on the tracks were not injured. The person was taken into custody, but investigators did not say why they were being held, whether charges had been filed or what their name is.

Police didn’t give additional details, including what happened in the hour between the 911 call and Hare’s death.

Amtrak’s Crescent train, which runs from New York to New Orleans, was delayed about seven hours. No one aboard was hurt, officials said.

The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating.