What happened to Zane Breakiron? Tributes pour in as Morgantown police officer passes away at 34 

A West Virginia community is mourning the loss of Zane Breakiron, a 34-year-old Morgantown police officer, who was killed in a single-vehicle crash while off duty over the weekend. Per CBS News, sometime late Friday night or early Saturday morning, Zane Breakiron, a Uniontown native, was traveling north on Route 43, somewhere between the Cheat Lake exit and the Pennsylvania border, when his car crashed and killed him on the scene.

In a statement cited by the WVMetroNews, Morgantown Police Chief Eric Powell said that Breakiron was a decorated officer, who was approaching his seventh year of service in the department. Powell described Breakiron as a stellar law enforcement official and one of the best officers in the department, who not only excelled in professional life but also had an unbridled zeal for life in general.

“He had an infectious smile. Whenever you were around him, he just reaffirmed your belief in humanity and just lived his life that way in all aspects.”

He added:

“We had lowered our flags and were wearing our mourning bands already, so it was just a gut punch.”

Powell said that Breakiron, who joined the Morgantown Police Department in 2016, aspired to be a K-9 handler and soon achieved the status in the department.

---

Friends and family mourn the loss of Morgantown police Department K-9 handler Zane Breakiron

As the Morgantown police department tried to grapple with the sudden loss of their officer, Zane Breakiron’s friends and family were faced with a similar hardened task of coming to terms with the untimely demise of the 34-year-old cop.

In a statement to KDKA, Breakiron’s father, Dr Garret Breakiron, who's currently running for South Union Township commissioner in Pennsylvania and a former chairman of the Fayette County Reagan Republicans, condoled the loss and stated they were immensely proud of their son.

"Zane was the type of son who made his mother and father proud. Everyone in our community loved and respected him. We know that Zane now has a place in heaven."

Breakiron, who graduated from Laurel Highlands Senior High School in 2008, was reportedly a standout athlete. The K-9 handler went on to study at the University of Tennessee, where he was a part of the Volunteers’ track team before transferring to the University of Florida and earning a graduate degree in Family, Youth and Community Services.

A close friend Barry Frey of Smithfield told CBS that Breakiron was recently accepted to become a U.S. Marshal. Frey described his late friend as a humble individual who treated everyone with respect.

"He was an exceptional person. He touched, he really touched lives."

Frey wasn’t the only one to express shock and devastation at the sudden passing of the 34-year-old officer. Several others also took to social media to express their anguish over Breakiron’s death.

Santino Guzzo, a firefighter for South Union Township and longtime friend of Zane Breakiron’s, told the Observer that Breakiron was a stalwart individual who made everyone in his orbit feel like a close friend.

“He was literally one of a kind. The biggest thing about Zane: You didn’t even have to call him. He just showed up. He was just that person if you needed somebody to lean on, he was there; if you needed somebody to joke around with, he was there. When he was in your life, he was in your life.”

Several others including law enforcement officials condoled Zane Breakiron's death.

The incident comes on the heels of West Virginia State Trooper Sgt. Cory Maynard was killed in the line of duty on Friday.