Calif. Police Sergeant Dies After Sudden Medical Emergency at Station

"It's a chief's worst nightmare … suffering the loss of one of your own, and it's devastating. You're never prepared for it," said King City's police chief after the unexpected death of Sgt. Ryan Kenedy.

Joe Vince

March 27, 2025

2 min read

A California police officer died suddenly after suffering an apparent medical emergency while on duty earlier this week.

King City Police Sgt. Ryan Kenedy was working at the department's station early Tuesday when he began feeling ill during his shift, KSBW-TV reports. At around 12:45 a.m., he unexpectedly experienced a medical incident, and medics were called, the agency stated in a social media post.

“We had two other officers on duty, attempted to resuscitate him via CPR," Chief James Hunt told KSBW. "Fire and paramedics were called. They attempted as well, and unfortunately, they were unable to resuscitate him and save his life."

Kenedy was pronounced dead at the scene.

"It's a chief's worst nightmare … suffering the loss of one of your own, and it's devastating. You're never prepared for it," said Hunt.

Joining the King Police Department in 2014, Kenedy served as patrol officer and was promoted to sergeant in January 2020. He had been assigned to the Southern County Major Crimes Unit and then to the Investigations Unit during his time with the department.

"Sergeant Kenedy was known by those around him as an intelligent and kind person who showed utmost care and humility towards those he worked with and served. … ," the department stated. "Sergeant Kenedy was universally loved by everyone he worked with, and his passing is an immeasurable loss."

About the Author

Joe Vince

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.