An Oklahoma police officer died from injuries he suffered from a fall late last month.
Ringling Police Capt. John Randolph was working in his role as a school resource officer at Ringling High School on Sept. 22 when the accident happened, KXII-TV reports. He was escorting a teacher with gate money from a football game when he tripped on debris and fell onto a wood pile, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
He was airlifted to a hospital in Texas, and he died from his injuries on Sept. 25.
“Everybody that I talked to at the school loved him, the kids loved him," Chief Brian Huckabee told KXII. "And he could talk to kids. He had a way of talking to kids and getting on their level, and he could make them understand. The faculty at the school, they absolutely adored him. He is definitely going to be missed."
Randolph, 59, had come out of retirement to work as captain with the Ringling Police Department. Before his retirement, he spent 22 years with the Ardmore Police Department.
“Since 1930, out of all of the officers that have worked here, there have only been 43 that have worked more than 20 years,” said Ardmore Police Chief Kevin Norris.
Randolph was in the U.S. Army and served in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Enduring Freedom. He started his law enforcement career in 1993 with the Healton Police Department, and he also served with the Carter County Sheriff's Office and Lone Grove Police Department. In 2020, he ran for Carter County sheriff.
“John was an all around good guy,” said Huckabee.
