Flags will fly at half-mast on Wednesday through Missouri in honor of a law enforcement officer who died from injuries sustained in the line of duty during the Joplin tornado.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has ordered flags in the state to fly at half-mast from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday, June 8 in honor of Master Patrolman Jefferson "Jeff" Taylor, who died from injuries he sustained following the tornado that struck Joplin.

On May 23 Taylor was struck by lightning while serving during the storms that hit the Joplin area. Taylor was an officer with the Riverside Police Department, was a member of the department's K-9 Unit with his partner, Flash, and was a member of the Riverside SWAT team.

Taylor was part of a 12-member team on officers and firefighters from Riverside that responded to the tornado disaster. Taylor died June 3 from injuries he sustained May 23.