Too young: Garrett Gagne was hit and killed Thursday morning after celebrating New Year's Eve with friends in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. A police officer hit the 22-year-old with his car while he was allegedly lying in the street . A police officer responding to an emergency call early New Year's Day ran over and apparently killed a college lacrosse player who was lying in a road, authorities said. Police said they don't know why Garrett Gagne was in the road or what his condition was before he was struck at 4am in Chatham, Massachusetts. The officer, who has not yet been identified, immediately stopped and called for help when he realized he had hit Gagne, police said Thursday. State and local police are investigating. Gagne, 22, was a senior government major and lacrosse player for St. Lawrence University. Police said he was from Longmeadow in western Massachusetts and was in Chatham, on Cape Cod, to celebrate New Year's Eve with friends. A preliminary investigation has revealed that Gagne suffered head trauma from being hit by a car while he was in the road. Chatham Police Chief Mark Pawlina said his investigators will be looking into whether the officer was speeding at the time, and how the young man ended up lying in the road in a rural area. 'We do know that there were some indications that there was some celebration going on and some alcohol involved, but to what extent we don’t know yet,' he told the Boston Herald. 'That’s something detectives are trying to determine. ... Everything will be thoroughly investigated.' Gagne's death has deeply troubled his department. Stand-out athlete: Authorities don't know why Gagne was lying in the street when he was hit, and are investigating whether alcohol may have contributed to the tragic accident. Gagne pictured above playing lacrosse for St Lawrence University in a number 28 jersey . 'The officer is very distraught and very upset over this, which is to be expected,' Pawlina said. The officer's identity is due to be released within 24 hours and Pawlina said he 'was not a rookie' but also not a veteran. While police said that Gagne's friends could not be immediately reached after the incident, they spoke to the Boston Herald hours later when they set up a makeshift memorial at the scene. 'Everyone loved him,' 24-year-old Dave Honey of Boston, a friend and former lacross teammate told the paper. 'We're all from Chatham and we all were with him last night. We are still in shock.' However, Honey would not go into detail into what happened at the New Year's celebrations Gagne attended. Loved: Gagne (far left) was a senior at St Lawrence, and the Canton, New York school plans to hold a memorial for the fallen student when classes resume. Pictured above with friends in a shot posted to Facebook . St Lawrence University, in Canton, New York, set up a memorial website to Gagne on Thursday. In a statement, St. Lawrence President William Fox said the school will hold a tribute for him when classes resume. Fox wrote in the statement: 'When Mike Mahoney, Garrett's lacrosse coach, contacted me this morning, he told me, "Garrett was close to all of us on the team — a leader, mentor, and friend. His smile and enthusiasm were contagious. He could light up the field and sidelines with his personality. This sudden and shocking loss touches every one of us who knew him as one of our best."' Gagne played in every game last season, and contributed several goals for the team, according to online statistics. At Longmeadow High School, Gagne captained both the lacrosse and ski racing teams and was honored for his academics, according to Fox's statement. He was also a two-time Massachusetts state champion in ski racing.
St Lawrence University lacrosse player Garrett Gagne was celebrating New Year's Eve in Cape Cod with friends when he was killed Thursday morning .
A local police officer hit and killed the 22-year-old who was inexplicably lying in the street .
Too young: Garrett Gagne was hit and killed Thursday morning after celebrating New Year's Eve with friends in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. A police officer hit the 22-year-old with his car while he was allegedly lying in the street . A police officer responding to an emergency call early New Year's Day ran over and apparently killed a college lacrosse player who was lying in a road, authorities said. Police said they don't know why Garrett Gagne was in the road or what his condition was before he was struck at 4am in Chatham, Massachusetts. The officer, who has not yet been identified, immediately stopped and called for help when he realized he had hit Gagne, police said Thursday. State and local police are investigating. Gagne, 22, was a senior government major and lacrosse player for St. Lawrence University. Police said he was from Longmeadow in western Massachusetts and was in Chatham, on Cape Cod, to celebrate New Year's Eve with friends. A preliminary investigation has revealed that Gagne suffered head trauma from being hit by a car while he was in the road. Chatham Police Chief Mark Pawlina said his investigators will be looking into whether the officer was speeding at the time, and how the young man ended up lying in the road in a rural area. 'We do know that there were some indications that there was some celebration going on and some alcohol involved, but to what extent we don’t know yet,' he told the Boston Herald. 'That’s something detectives are trying to determine. ... Everything will be thoroughly investigated.' Gagne's death has deeply troubled his department. Stand-out athlete: Authorities don't know why Gagne was lying in the street when he was hit, and are investigating whether alcohol may have contributed to the tragic accident. Gagne pictured above playing lacrosse for St Lawrence University in a number 28 jersey . 'The officer is very distraught and very upset over this, which is to be expected,' Pawlina said. The officer's identity is due to be released within 24 hours and Pawlina said he 'was not a rookie' but also not a veteran. While police said that Gagne's friends could not be immediately reached after the incident, they spoke to the Boston Herald hours later when they set up a makeshift memorial at the scene. 'Everyone loved him,' 24-year-old Dave Honey of Boston, a friend and former lacross teammate told the paper. 'We're all from Chatham and we all were with him last night. We are still in shock.' However, Honey would not go into detail into what happened at the New Year's celebrations Gagne attended. Loved: Gagne (far left) was a senior at St Lawrence, and the Canton, New York school plans to hold a memorial for the fallen student when classes resume. Pictured above with friends in a shot posted to Facebook . St Lawrence University, in Canton, New York, set up a memorial website to Gagne on Thursday. In a statement, St. Lawrence President William Fox said the school will hold a tribute for him when classes resume. Fox wrote in the statement: 'When Mike Mahoney, Garrett's lacrosse coach, contacted me this morning, he told me, "Garrett was close to all of us on the team — a leader, mentor, and friend. His smile and enthusiasm were contagious. He could light up the field and sidelines with his personality. This sudden and shocking loss touches every one of us who knew him as one of our best."' Gagne played in every game last season, and contributed several goals for the team, according to online statistics. At Longmeadow High School, Gagne captained both the lacrosse and ski racing teams and was honored for his academics, according to Fox's statement. He was also a two-time Massachusetts state champion in ski racing.
Too young: Garrett Gagne was hit and killed Thursday morning after celebrating New Year's Eve with friends in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. A police officer hit the 22-year-old with his car while he was allegedly lying in the street . A police college lacrosse player who was lying in a road, shot posted to Facebook . St Lawrence University,