CHARLOTTE -- A trooper with the State Highway Patrol is on administrative duty after he hit and killed a pedestrian on Interstate 85 early Friday morning. The Highway Patrol says the victim, 22-year-old Derrick Mason, was trying to cross the interstate near Sugar Creek Road.

The Highway Patrol says Mason was hit and killed while trying to cross Interstate 85 around 1:30 a.m. on Friday. Witnesses say the crash was loud, and they even jumped when they heard the impact.

Trooper C. D. Montgomery, a seven-year veteran with the patrol, is now on administrative duty while the crash is investigated.

"We don't think he's done anything wrong,” said Trooper John Burgin. “He was on normal patrol on the interstates like he's supposed to do, and this pedestrian comes out of nowhere, darts out into the interstate attempting to cross and was struck."

There are several posts on Facebook paying tribute to the victim. Friends say he went by Deonna Mason. Many posts talked about how much she will be missed.

The highway patrol is still investigating and hasn't said why Mason was trying to cross 85. They ask other pedestrians thinking of doing the same to reconsider before there’s another deadly outcome.

"Those walls are there for protection and keep cars from coming over, and pedestrian from jumping over those things,” said Burgin. “There's areas to cross over the interstate, running into the interstate isn't one of them."

Trooper Burgin says speed and distance are difficult to judge, and he urges pedestrians to use overpasses to safely cross the interstate.

The Highway Patrol hasn't said how fast Trooper Montgomery was going at the time of the crash. And they're still investigating if it was caught on dash cam video.