Tenn. Police Chief Dies at Station after Medical Emergency
Samburg Police Chief Christopher Cummings suffered a fatal heart attack after he was part of the response to help remove a beaver dam that was blocking roads and creating flooding.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, Cummings was part of a response to remove a beaver dam that was blocking roads and creating flooding. While helping with the removal of the dam, Cummings began to feel ill and returned to the station.
An unresponsive Cummings was discovered when officers went back to the station about an hour later. Life-saving efforts were attempted, but Cummings was pronounced dead.
"Anyone who knew Chris knew he would literally give you the shirt off his back," Obion County Sheriff Karl Jackson stated on social media. "He always put others before himself. … Chris was a great friend to many and always seemed to have a smile on his face. His passions in life were his son Matthew, his girlfriend April, fishing, and serving his community without fail. If anyone needed a hand, Chris was there to help.
"Chris was one of a kind and his passing will be felt by many for quite some time."
Before becoming Samburg's chief, Cummings served as a sergeant with the Obion County Sheriff's Office, according to Jackson. He also worked with the Union City Police Department.
According to his obituary, Cummings served in the Army directly out of high school, becoming a military police officer in Germany during the fall of the Berlin Wall. He finished his service in 1993 and joined the Tennessee Army National Guard, where he was deployed twice to Iraq during his 25 years of service.
Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.
