The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Trooper James M. Bava died Friday as a result of a one-vehicle traffic crash in Audrain County.

MSHP reports that at 8:29 am, Trooper Bava, 25, radioed he observed a motorcyclist commit a traffic violation on Missouri Route FF in Audrain County. A few minutes later, communications operators at Troop F Headquarters in Jefferson City attempted to contact Trooper Bava by radio and did not receive a response. At 8:35 am, Troop F received a report of a Missouri State Highway Patrol vehicle crashed on Route FF, just east of Audrain Road 977. Emergency responders arrived on the scene and confirmed Trooper Bava had been killed in the crash. The investigation into the incident continues by the Patrol’s Major Crash Investigation Unit. Further information will be provided as it becomes available.

Appointed to the Missouri State Highway Patrol on July 1, 2013, Trooper Bava was member of the Patrol’s 97th Recruit Class. He is the 31st member of the Patrol to lose his life in the line of duty. Trooper Bava is survived by his parents, two sisters, a brother, and a half-sister.

Trooper Bava took an oath to serve and protect the people of Missouri,” said Colonel J. Bret Johnson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. “Today, he made the ultimate sacrifice in carrying out that sacred oath. The entire Patrol family mourns the loss of our brave and dedicated colleague, and we send our prayers and support to Trooper Bava’s family, friends, and those who worked most closely with him.”