The police officer struck and severely injured by lightning while helping in the aftermath of the Joplin tornado has died.
Jefferson “Jeff” Taylor, a Riverside police officer who volunteered to go to Joplin, died Friday at a Springfield hospital. Taylor was among the dozen emergency workers from Riverside who responded to Joplin. He and another officer were providing security and helping with traffic during a thunderstorm the day after the tornado struck. The other officer suffered only minor injuries from a lightning strike.
Riverside is a community in the Kansas City metro area. Taylor is the first Riverside officer to die in the line of duty. He was 31.