A Mesa Police Department officer was killed in a motorcycle accident in Washington state on Monday, officials said.

Kurt Allen Carlson, 42, was riding his Honda motorcycle on a road near Twisp, Washington, when he apparently lost control and left the roadway about 7 p.m., according to an Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office report.

Twisp is located about 115 miles northeast of Seattle.

Carlson and his motorcycle ended up in a river near the road, the report said. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the report.

Carlson, who was off-duty while traveling in Washington, was a 17½-year veteran of the Mesa Police Department, said Detective Steve Berry, a Mesa police spokesman, in a prepared statement confirming the death.

He worked as a patrol officer, Mesa Family Advocacy Center detective and since 2007 was assigned to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.

“Kurt was the Unit trainer for the Airport Unit and trained every current member on airfield driving and airport familiarity,” Berry said. “His easy-going personality enabled him to develop positive relationships with several local, state, and federal partners who also work at (Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport).”

Carlson was married with two children.

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