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, according to a town news release.

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

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. Hagler’s injuries were not life-threatening, the town’s release said.

Alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash and charges are pending. Hayworth, who had been on the force for just three months, was formerly in the U.S. Army.