A Georgia police chief died in a single-vehicle car accident after he suffered an apparent medical emergency Wednesday.
Colquitt Police Chief Kenny Kirkland, 51, was discovered at about 10:30 p.m. following a search that was started when he missed a church speaking engagement, WALB-TV reports. Authorities found his vehicle off the road in bushes after tracking Kirkland's cellphone.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will be conducting an autopsy, but Kirkland apparently died of natural causes, The Associated Press reports.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, Kirkland had been cleaning out a police storage shed Wednesday and had carried several items weighing more than 100 pounds each to a department pickup truck. As Kirkland was driving to dispose of the items, he suffered a heart attack and lost control of the vehicle.
A 30-year law enforcement veteran, Kirkland had been with the Colquitt department nearly 20 years and was named chief in May 2020. He is survived by his wife and two stepsons.
