Man charged with causing car crash that killed Tucson Police Officer Adam Buckner

TUCSON, Ariz. - A man has been charged with causing a car crash that killed an on-duty Tucson police officer two months ago, authorities said Wednesday.

Tucson police announced 20-year-old Nicholas William Skitzki is facing a misdemeanor charge of death by a moving violation. He’s also been charged with two civil traffic infractions for failure to yield while turning left at an intersection and failure to yield to an authorized emergency vehicle.

Police said Skitzki was cited and released April 24. He’s scheduled to be arraigned May 7 in Tucson City Court.

A phone message left for Skitzki seeking comment on the charges wasn’t immediately returned Wednesday and court paperwork didn’t show if he had a lawyer yet.

Officer Adam Buckner, 31, was fatally injured on March 31 when his patrol car collided with another vehicle at an intersection near the University of Arizona campus, according to police.

They said Buckner was responding to an emergency call with his siren on and lights flashing and had the right of way.

Police said a sedan driven by Skitzki making a turn failed to yield, and the collision’s force sent Buckner’s vehicle into a traffic signal pole. He later died at a hospital.

Buckner is the ninth Tucson police officer to die in the line of duty in the department’s history.

He joined Tucson police in 2021 and was the lead officer for the city’s midtown district.

Buckner began his law enforcement career with the New Orleans Police Department in 2017 and later became a detective.