when some dumb cop accidently gets himself killed they always try to make the cop look like a hero instead of painting him as a dangerous idiot that was endangering the lives of us citizens. this dumb pig killed himself thru reckless driving and he could have easily killed someone else. but the pigs and media are painting him as a hero Original Article Rookie officer dies after rollover crash Friends say that he loved his new job Lindsey Collom The Arizona Republic Dec. 1, 2005 12:00 AM Officer Paul Salmon's police academy classmates anticipated they would lose a brother at some point in their careers. They didn't think it would be so soon. And they certainly didn't think it would be him. Salmon, 22, died late Tuesday after being pulled from life support at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center. A rollover crash early Monday left him with massive head trauma. Salmon was an officer with the Phoenix Police Department for only six months. Memorial services are pending. Investigators have not determined what caused the crash. "There's a lot of speculation that something ran in front of him or something happened to him before (the accident)," said Sgt. Lauri Williams, a Phoenix police spokeswoman. Officers Christian Bailey and Matt O'Halloran on Wednesday described their friend as a cut-up who provided much-needed comic relief after days of intense training at the academy. "Anytime we were getting stressed out as a class, we'd be in the locker room and there would be Paul and another classmate singing songs like You've Lost that Loving Feeling by the Righteous Brothers," O'Halloran said. "He'd have everyone in stitches." But he was also quick to point out that Salmon was a competent officer, the kind he'd want as backup "on a bad call." Salmon's last communication with dispatchers was at 12:52 a.m. Monday, when he agreed to assist with a domestic-violence call in south Phoenix. It was considered a "hot," or "Priority 1," call, which means the suspect was still on location and the scene was considered dangerous. That means Salmon would have been trying to get there as quickly as he could, Williams said. It appeared he was traveling westbound on Baseline Road near 31st Avenue when the car flipped. He wasn't wearing a seat belt, and there was no indication he tried to hit the brakes, police said. Stephen Williams, a security officer at a nearby development, called 911 to report the accident. He was sitting in his car filling out paperwork when he saw a flash of light out of the corner of his eye and heard the crash. He said it took him a while to find Salmon inside the overturned cruiser: The windshield was splintered and Williams had trouble seeing into the wreckage. He tried to comfort Salmon and hold his hand until paramedics arrived. Family, friends and co-workers stayed by Salmon's bedside until his death. "It's been very hard to see him," Bailey said. "There's an understanding you would lose someone in your career, but we never knew it would be so soon, and we never thought it would be Paul." Bailey said Salmon's family and fiance are "trying to grieve. They're trying to let Paul go. They're very aware our academy class is behind them, and we'll be behind them forever." After their graduation June 3, the three friends parted ways: Salmon to Phoenix, Bailey to Scottsdale and O'Halloran to Avondale. But they remained close. In a recent e-mail, Salmon told Bailey he loved the job and was "having so much fun." "There's no doubt in my mind Paul had a fantastic career ahead of him," Bailey said.