Slain officer in Boston bombing had NASCAR ties

WATERTOWN, MA - APRIL 19: Police descend on School and Walnut Street chasing possible suspects on April 19, 2013 in Watertown, Massachusetts. Earlier, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus police officer was shot and killed at the school's campus in Cambridge. A short time later, police reported exchanging gunfire with alleged carjackers in Watertown, a city near Cambridge. According to reports, one suspect has been killed during a car chase and the police are seeking another - believed to be the same person (known as Suspect Two) wanted in connection with the deadly bombing at the Boston Marathon earlier this week. Police have confirmed that the dead assailant is Suspect One from the recently released marathon bombing photographs. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images)
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WATERTOWN, MA - APRIL 19: Police descend on School and Walnut Street chasing possible suspects on April 19, 2013 in Watertown, Massachusetts. Earlier, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus police officer was shot and killed at the school's campus in Cambridge. A short time later, police reported exchanging gunfire with alleged carjackers in Watertown, a city near Cambridge. According to reports, one suspect has been killed during a car chase and the police are seeking another - believed to be the same person (known as Suspect Two) wanted in connection with the deadly bombing at the Boston Marathon earlier this week. Police have confirmed that the dead assailant is Suspect One from the recently released marathon bombing photographs. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images)
WATERTOWN, MA – APRIL 19: Police descend on School and Walnut Street chasing possible suspects on April 19, 2013 in Watertown, Massachusetts. Earlier, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus police officer was shot and killed at the school’s campus in Cambridge. A short time later, police reported exchanging gunfire with alleged carjackers in Watertown, a city near Cambridge. According to reports, one suspect has been killed during a car chase and the police are seeking another – believed to be the same person (known as Suspect Two) wanted in connection with the deadly bombing at the Boston Marathon earlier this week. Police have confirmed that the dead assailant is Suspect One from the recently released marathon bombing photographs. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

A police officer killed in the line of duty Thursday at MIT has family ties to NASCAR.

Officer Sean A. Collier,26 of Somerville Mass., was shot Thursday evening after an incident on campus. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead. The incident touched off a manhunt that according to numerous media accounts involves two suspects in the bombings at the end of the Boston Marathon that killed three bystanders and injured scores of others. One of the bombing suspects was killed early Friday morning while a massive search continued for the second.

Hendrick Motorsports, which fields four cars in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup series, released a statement Friday morning confirming that Collier’s brother works for the team based in Concord N.C. MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.