TROY, Mich. – Friends, family members and colleagues are mourning the death of a Troy police officer.
Dispatcher Curtis Reynolds Jr. was getting ready for a shift on his 50th birthday, Sept. 19, when he suffered a heart attack.
He died a few days later at the hospital.
Members of the Troy Police Department said Reynolds, a 29-year veteran of the force, was the heart of their tight-knit team and an unsung hero who touched thousands of lives.
According to a Facebook post, Reynolds was waiting to take over for the midnight shift when he became unresponsive and was rushed to a hospital.
“The whole world stopped and we all came together. Everyone knew the rule without having to talk about it,” said Matt Pillsbury. “We worked with the guys on the road, which we don’t have to do very often hand-to-hand. We worked with those guys seamlessly. We worked with the ambulance crew seamlessly and we gave him a really good shot.”
Reynolds spent several days at the hospital but died after six days of fighting. Doctors said it was a heart attack.
Curt, as Troy police called him, was the dispatch team’s rock. A quick-witted, but patient man, who was always willing to work so others could spent time with their families.
“He was a friend, a trainer, a source of information,” Pillsbury said. “A person to talk to if you were having a bad day.”
Reynolds was known for his calm and decisive demeanor and his attitude is credited with saving lives during two very tense standoffs -- one in 2009 and one in 2018 where Reynolds spent hours talking down a gunman who was barricaded inside his home.
2018 Story: Gunman taken into custody after standoff with police inside Troy home
But it will be the little things they miss and the things they’ll hold onto.
“I just want to be like Curt,” said Nicole Mahrle. “If i can be as selfless as he was, and help out my coworkers like he did, I want to do it.”
Saturday night, the Troy Police Department said they’re getting Reynold’s favorite pizza from a place in town.
He leaves behind three children and his parents. A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family. You can donate here.