A veteran Irondale police lieutenant was struck and killed early Monday while directing traffic at the Church of the Highlands.

Lieutenant Mark Meadows, 60, was throwing out cones at the intersection of Grants Mill Road and Overton Road as the church’s 21 Days of Prayer prepared to throw out when he was struck by an oncoming motorist.

The accident occurred just before 7 a.m. Monday and resulted in all lanes of Grants Mill Road being closed for hours.

Meadows was taken to Grandview Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Irondale Mayor James Stewart said Meadows employees will be offered grief support.

“Lt. “Mark Meadows was a valued member of our Irondale family for over 30 years,” Stewart said in a news release. “He was a man of few words, but always led by example and embodied the heart of a public servant.”

The mayor said Meadows will be missed.

“We are comforted to know that he is with his Heavenly Father, and we will continue to accompany his family in prayer as they grieve this great loss,” Stewart said.

Chris Hodges, pastor of Church of the Highlands, released this statement:

“Our hearts are immeasurably heavy. Officer Meadows has been with us since we opened our Grants Mill campus nearly 18 years ago. He is family to us. All of our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, daughter, son, family members, fellow officers and the many who loved him. Even in the most trying and trying times, we know that our God will give us comfort, strength, and assurance based on the promise of heaven. We as a church will do everything we can to provide for his family.”

The Alabama Department of Law Enforcement is leading the investigation.

Meadows served four years in the U.S. Army’s 3rd Ranger Battalion, 10th Mountain Division at Ft. Benning, Georgia.

Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, he began his law enforcement career with the Mountain Brook Police Department in 1992 before moving to the Irondale Police Department.

“He was a true public servant and a true family man,” said retired Irondale Sgt. Michael Mangina.

Meadows, a husband, father and grandfather of two, became an FBI instructor in 2001 with pistol and rifle certification. He then received certification as an NRA pistol instructor in 2017.

Meadows worked at the Church of Highlands for more than a decade, helping coordinate traffic safety.

The 21 days of prayer begin on January 5th and last until January 25th. People gather at the various church premises every weekday morning from 6 a.m. to pray.

AL.com reporter Greg Garrison contributed to this report.