SEBASTIAN — Kevin Morris, a Vero Beach High School graduate who later taught and coached football at Sebastian River High School before returning to law enforcement, was killed in the line of duty early Sunday in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 95 near Titusville.
Morris, 55, a senior homicide agent with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, was responding to a deputy-involved shooting in Mims when a 26-year-old woman driving the wrong way on I-95 struck his patrol vehicle head-on near mile marker 221 shortly after 11 p.m. The Florida Highway Patrol and the Sheriff’s Office said the collision occurred Saturday.
Both Morris and the other driver were killed. Both vehicles caught fire.
Morris began his law enforcement career with the Palm Bay Police Department, where he served from 2001 to 2012. After leaving the department, he taught at Sebastian River High School and served as the football team’s linebackers coach from 2013 to 2021. During that time, students, players, and the community knew him as “Coach Kevin.”
Sebastian River High School released a statement Sunday mourning his death.
“Coach Morris was an amazing teacher and coach who made a lasting impact on our football team and the entire Shark Nation family,” the school said. “He touched so many lives, both on and off the field, and his influence will never be forgotten.” The statement concluded with the words, “Once a Shark, always a Shark.”
Morris returned to law enforcement in February 2021, joining the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy on February 2. He later rose to senior homicide agent in the agency’s Criminal Investigative Services and also served as a polygraph examiner. His daughter’s interest influenced his decision to return to law enforcement.
Throughout his career, the Sheriff’s Office said he received numerous letters of commendation, commendable service awards, and a Life Saving Award.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey described Morris as a man of strong faith who lit up a room when he entered it.
“If you knew Kevin, you loved him,” Ivey said. “He was a strong man of faith. He had some old man-isms, if you will, and was just one of those guys that when he walked into a room, everybody lighted up, everybody was glad to be around him.”
Friends and former colleagues also remembered Morris for his work coaching youth football and supporting families through difficult times. People often called him both “Coach Kevin” and “Pastor Kevin.”
Morris is survived by his wife and children, including a son who previously played football at Sebastian River High School. Funeral and memorial arrangements were pending as of Monday.
The Florida Highway Patrol is leading the crash investigation.