Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Puerto Rico
End of Watch: Thursday, January 10, 2013
Age: 35
Tour of Duty: 10 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Automobile crash
Date of Incident: January 10, 2013
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Correctional Officer Eliezer Colón-Claussells and Agent Mayra Ramírez-Barreto, of the Puerto Rico Department of Justice, were killed in an automobile crash near Stillwater, Oklahoma, while en route to the Cimmarron Prison Facility, in Cushing, to extradite three prisoners from the facility.
They were traveling southbound on Highway 177, near 68th Street, when another vehicle travelling in the opposite direction crossed the center line and struck their van head-on shortly after 5:00 am.
Agent Ramírez-Barreto, who was driving, and the other driver were trapped inside the vehicles for several hours and both died at the scene. Officer Colón-Claussells and the other two corrections officers in the van were transported to Stillwater Medical Center where Officer Colón-Claussell passed away.
Officer Colón-Claussells had served with the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections for 10 years and was assigned to the Special Operations Unit. He is survived by his 7-year-old son.