Officials praised Trainor for saving lives and preventing further tragedy during the incident that claimed his life.
A Massachusetts State Police trooper was killed by a wrong-way driver minutes after his shift was scheduled to end on Wednesday, May 6.
Trooper Kevin Trainor, 30, had begun his commute home shortly before 2 a.m. on May 6, when he received a call reporting a wrong-way driver traveling South on Route 1 North in Lynnfield, Mass., Massachusetts State Police said in a statement.
"Trooper Trainor obviously was still in the area just completing his shift, preparing to go home, and did what [anyone would do] on duty or off duty, and this is be there to help, and that's what he did," Col. Geoffrey Noble said at a press conference.
A 911 call came in at 2:01 a.m., a minute after Trainor's shift was scheduled to end, Noble said.
While the wrong-way vehicle was located by troopers converging on the area at 2:03 a.m., it collided with Trainor's cruiser one minute later, at 2:04 a.m.
Trainor was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he later succumbed to injuries, according to WCVB.
"In the blink of an eye, those reckless actions stole Kevin from Barbara, his mother, Jessica, his fiancée, and his siblings, Melissa, Matthew, David, and Steven," Noble said.
"Those reckless actions stole him from his family as well as his brothers and sisters with the Massachusetts State Police," he continued.
The wrong-way driver was identified as Hernan Marrero, 50, the Essex County District Attorney said in a statement. Marrero also did not survive the crash.
During the press conference, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said she met with Trainor's family members, who were "obviously devastated and heartbroken."
"Kevin came from a family that was committed to public service," Healey, who also issued a statement about the incident, continued. "His siblings, who I met, an EMT, a firefighter, a physicians assistant, among others, and Kevin was about public service, and as the colonel noted, that's what his career, all too brief career, has been about."
Trainor graduated from the Massachusetts State Police Academy in 2023, Noble said. During his time with the state police, he served as a field training officer and earned a place in the Troop A Community Action Team.
Trainor began his career in law enforcement as a corrections officer in Essex County. He "will always be remembered for his service, his character, and his courage," the Essex County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.
"Make no mistake: Trooper Trainor today saved lives this morning," Noble said. "His courage - his commitment to serve the citizens of the Commonwealth and even be willing to put his life on the line, which he did today, prevented an even greater tragedy."
"For I am confident that had this tragedy not occurred, there would have been countless other tragedies down the road," continued Noble. "He will be remembered as a hero."