An off-duty Milwaukee police officer was killed in a crash early Tuesday when a repeat drunken driver ran a red light and hit the officer's car.

The officer was Kou Her, a two-year veteran of the department.

After finishing his shift in District 4, Her was driving home about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday when a driver ran a red light at North 60th Street and West Capitol Drive, Police Chief Alfonso Morales said at a 7 a.m. news conference.

A 34-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested in connection with the crash. The man has four operating while intoxicated convictions and was on probation on a 2017 OWI conviction, Morales said.

Her, 27, earned an associate's degree in criminal justice at Milwaukee Area Technical College in December 2015.

Family and friends were seen going in and out of his home, where an older brother who did not identify himself was also present. Her's brother said the family did not have a lot of information and that their parents are really struggling with his death.

He said the family was not ready to speak.

Her is survived by six brothers, two sisters and his parents. Her's dad served in Vietnam and was "very proud to have the first son in the family be a police officer and serve our community," Morales said.

Juan Medel, a Milwaukee police officer who graduated from the academy with Her in 2018, described him as fun and a great guy to be around.

"He was the class clown — ever since day one, we knew he would be that guy. He was a happy person to be around," he said.

Her's niece, Megan Yaj, created a GoFundMe fundraiser Tuesday for funeral costs. Donors raised about $14,00 for Her's family in the first seven hours it was posted online. Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele appeared to have donated $10,000 Tuesday evening.

Her was "a beloved son, brother, grandson, and uncle," Yaj wrote on the GoFundMe.

"During this horrific, heartbreaking time, we ask if you can help donate for funeral expenses. We appreciate all the help we can get," she wrote.

Yaj wrote Her's funeral is set for June 29.

Shawn Lauda, president of the Milwaukee Police Association, spoke to a friend of Her who did not want to be named. Her "worked his butt off to get on the force" and took his job seriously, never complaining, the friend said.

He looked at both sides of every issue and never judged a book by its cover, the friend said, and he was known for his positive mindset.

"He was always happy-go-lucky and he always liked to joke around," Lauda said. "I'm told he was extremely well-liked."

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said it's a difficult time for the city and that he wants residents "to know and appreciate" the work done by the city's police officers. "Like all of us, (Her) wanted to drive home safely."

"I am actually kind of sick to my stomach. That's an intersection I travel through and that my family travels through," said Ald. Cavalier Johnson, who represents the district where the crash occurred.

"It's sad, it's tragic and it's unnecessary," he said. "The Milwaukee Police Department has sacrificed so much."

And state Attorney General Josh Kaul — addressing the deaths of Her and off-duty Racine Police Officer John Hetland, who was shot and killed as he intervened during a robbery at a bar Monday night — said, "The loss of two police officers — two people who worked to keep communities safe — is a tragedy. We mourn the loss of these courageous public servants."

“It’s an incredibly tragic day for law enforcement across southeastern Wisconsin, losing two public servants,” said Milwaukee Ald. Bob Donovan, who chairs the Common Council’s Public Safety and Health Committee. “One in Racine and Officer Her here in Milwaukee, on his way home from work, I might add, after serving his community.”

Donovan said Her’s death is also indicative of how out of control traffic in the city has become and how unsafe it is to drive the streets. He called for aggressive steps to enforce traffic laws.

“Here you’ve got an individual, apparently the suspect responsible for this, four OWIs prior, and I don’t know if he was drunk this time, but running the red light, according to witnesses,” he said. “That kind of irresponsibility that snuffed out the life of a good public servant.”

Her is the fourth officer in the department to have been killed in just over a year. Three were killed in the line of duty.

Morales said the Wisconsin State Patrol is conducting the crash investigation.

Alison Dirr and Mike Johnson contributed to this report.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly said Her's survivors included a wife.