A Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper has been killed in the line of duty. Corporal John A. “Jay” Sampietro Junior was hit by a vehicle on Interstate 44 in Webster County, near Strafford. He was taken to a hospital in Springfield, where he died of his injuries. At the time of the accident, Corporal Sampietro was assisting the Patrol’s Major Crash Investigation Team at the site of an earlier fatal traffic crash. Corporal Sampietro leaves behind a wife and two young sons. His wife is a radio operator for the Highway Patrol in Springfield. Governor Matt Blunt has ordered that flags at all state facilities be flown at half staff in honor of Corporal Sampietro.