The M.I.T officer who was killed in the line of duty on Thursday evening has been identified as Patrol Officer Sean A. Collier, according to school officials.
Collier, 26 of Somerville, Mass was fatally shot by Boston Marathon bombing suspects Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, law enforcement officials told NBC News.
Collier was on patrol when the altercation happened at the corner of Vassar and Main streets in Cambridge, according to a news release on MIT's Web site.
Collier was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to M.I.T officials, Collier had served as a member of the MIT Police since January 9, 2012. He is single and a native of Wilmington, Mass. According the Web site for Salem State University, he was a 2009 graduate.
According to MIT Police Chief John DiFava, Collier was “born to be a police officer.”
Hendrick Motorsports issued a statement and said Collier's brother works for the company.
"The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Hendrick Motorsports are with Andrew Collier and his family. Andrew, a machinist in the Hendrick Motorsports engine department, tragically lost his brother, Officer Sean Collier, last night in Cambridge, Mass. We ask that the family’s privacy be considered during this difficult time."
MIT President L. Rafael Reif called the shooting a senseless and tragic loss in a statement released by the school.
“The loss of Officer Collier is deeply painful to the entire MIT community,” said President Reif. “Our thoughts today are with his family, his friends, his colleagues on our police force and, by all accounts, the many other members of our community who knew him. This is a senseless and tragic loss.”
