Our community has lost a brilliant mind.

Andrew Scott Reisse, a founding member and lead engineer on the Oculus Rift VR headset project, was struck and killed by a vehicle in Santa Ana, California as its driver fled from the police.

According to an ABC report, Reisse was crossing the street when the driver, said to have been running from the scene of a shooting, ran a red light. The suspects are in custody.

For a life to end is always despairing. For it to be one of our own, crushing. For that life to end just as years of work on an incredible project began to bear its fruit is nothing short of a tragedy.

Our hearts and minds are with the family of Andrew Reisse and the entire Oculus VR team tonight.

An official statement from the Oculus VR team follows: