An Australian police officer’s engagement party turned into a tragedy when he fell, cut his neck and died in front of his fiancée and their friends.
Senior Constable Liam Trimmer and his fiancée, a nurse, threw a party at their Western Australia home Sunday to announce their upcoming nuptials, but he slipped and fell during the joyous occasion, 9NEWS reported.
The 29-year-old somehow cut his neck and died of his injuries in the mishap.
“Everything was done to try and save him but it wasn’t to be and I know everyone that was involved are really, really hurting. I think they wish they could just wake up from this nightmare,” WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said, according to the outlet.
Police have launched an investigation into the tragedy.
His fiancée was not named.
Trimmer, who was originally from the UK, moved to Australia about 10 years ago and graduated from the Joondalup Police Academy in 2013, 9NEWS reported.
In 2017, he moved to the outback mining town of Kalgoorlie, about 370 miles east of Perth, where he joined the Gang Crime Squad, the tactical response group and the local rugby team.
“This extraordinary officer loved helping the community, was a fine example of WA policing and it’s such a tragedy,” Blanch said. “A very, very confident, capable young man with his whole life ahead of him, and that’s how sad this is.”
The WA Police Union said in a statement that it was “deeply saddened by the passing of a valued member of the blue family,” and sent its “heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the fallen officer during this difficult period.”
Paul Gale, the union’s president, said: “Every time a death occurs for a police officer, it doesn’t matter how, it really does rock the core of the police family.”
Trimmer was featured in the BBC show “Wanted Down Under,” in which British families were given a taste of life in Australia and New Zealand before deciding whether to leave the UK, the Telegraph reported.
Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti described the cop’s death as an “awful, awful tragedy.
“As I understand it, this police officer came over from the UK to start a new life in WA. My condolences go out to the family and friends of [the] officer,” she said, according to the outlet.