Off-duty officer killed in wrong-way crash on I-15 outside Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A wrong-way crash that shut down Interstate 15 northeast of Las Vegas Thursday morning left two people dead, including an off-duty police officer, authorities said.

The collision was reported about 12:26 a.m. on northbound I-15 at mile marker 78, about 25 miles north of the Speedway Boulevard exit, said Trooper Shawn Haggstrom of the Nevada State Police.

Investigators believe a wrong-way driver drove south in the northbound lane and collided with at least one other vehicle.

Two men were pronounced dead at the scene, Haggstrom said in a statement. A woman was also transported by Mercy Air with non-life-threatening injuries.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police identified one of the men killed as 29-year-old Colton Pulsipher, an officer with the Department of Transportation’s Tourist Security Division.

According to LVMPD, Pulsipher was on his way home after his shift in his personal vehicle when he was hit by the wrong-way driver. He joined the department in 2017 and is survived by his wife and three children.

According to LVMPD, those who would like to help the officer’s family during this time of tragedy can donate to the organization Behind the Blue Fundraiser.

Officials and law enforcement have expressed their condolences at the news of Pulsipher’s death.

“This is a tragic, heartbreaking loss,” Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, the former Clark County sheriff who oversaw LVMPD, wrote in a social media post. “Please join Donna and me in praying for Officer Pulsipher’s family and loved ones.”

“The Nevada State Police extends our deepest condolences and prayers to our LVMPD brothers and sisters and the family of Officer Pulsipher,” the agency wrote.

LVMPD also invites the community to pay their respects at the public viewing area set up in the lobby of the department’s Northeast Area Command Center, located at 3750 Cecile Ave, near Las Vegas Blvd and Pecos Road is located.

Residents can stop by Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will remain open until the officer’s funeral.

All northbound lanes of I-15 are closed at the intersection with US 93 and it is unclear when they will reopen.

Drivers who need to travel north can take US 93 as a detour and reconnect to the highway via State Route 168.