LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Metro Police officers and family members gathered Monday to remember former Officer Zach Cottongim, who died in the line of duty two years ago.
Cottongim was 29 years old when he died Dec. 18, 2021, after a car hit him on Interstate 64. He was outside of his police cruiser attempting to have an abandoned vehicle moved near I-64 west at Mellwood Avenue when the accident happened, police said.
Police and family remembered Cottongim and his legacy during a ceremony at Cave Hill Cemetery on Monday. The seven-year veteran of the police force spent most of his time serving in LMPD's 1st Division, which covers downtown, Butchertown, Portland and the Russell neighborhood.
LMPD officer Zachary Cottongim. (Photo courtesy of LMPD)
"Zach was very well known for his compassion and policing," LMPD Maj. Shannon Lauder said Monday. "He believed that his job wasn't just to take people to jail. There were many stories that came out after Zach passed that he had borrowed money from his father to help somebody he had arrested to get drug treatment. When those stories come out after, it helped just reminded us all why we got into this job in the first place."
Cottongim was the father of two young boys and a husband to his wife Jamie.
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