An off-duty University of Illinois police lieutenant was killed in a vehicle-versus-motorcycle crash Sunday in Champaign.

Lieutenant Aaron Landers was pronounced dead at 3:11 a.m. Monday at Carle Foundation Hospital. According to a press release, the official cause of death was ruled as blunt force injuries sustained in the accident.

The accident occurred at the intersection of Church Street and Prospect Avenue. According to the Champaign Police Department, a vehicle was traveling westbound on Church Street when the driver disobeyed a traffic light, causing a collision with another vehicle traveling northbound on Prospect Avenue.

The vehicle traveling northbound was forced into the southbound lane, causing it to strike Landers on his motorcycle.

Over the course of his career at UIPD, Landers earned many awards such as two life-saving awards, the excellence in community policing award and the director of public safety recognition award.

“Lt. Landers was extremely passionate about his work,” said Alice Cary, University police chief, in a press release. “You could see that in everything he did, in how he interacted with people and in the genuine relationships he was able to build. He cared deeply about serving the community.”

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