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A police officer has died after a crash on Interstate 540 near Knightdale.

Media outlets report it happened early Sunday morning.

Knightdale police officers were investigating a single-car crash on I-540 just after 2:30 a.m. when a car hit their cruiser from behind.

Officer Ryan Hayworth, 23, was killed in the collision.

Hayworth’s training officer, Cody Hagler, was seriously injured, as was the driver who hit them and the person involved in the initial single-car crash.

Local officials said in a news release that Hagler’s injuries were not life-threatening. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is investigating.

A release from local officials says that alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash, and that charges are pending.

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