A Dallas police officer died on Thursday after collapsing outside his residence following the end of his shift.
Dallas police received a call around 4 p.m. for an ambulance near the 2700 block of Duncanville Road, per NBC 5 DFW. An employee at the deceased officer’s apartment complex administered first aid to the fallen policeman prior to the arrival of paramedics, reportedly performing CPR.
First responders found the officer, identified as 58-year-old Christopher Jackson, unresponsive on the ground in the parking lot of his apartment complex. He was taken to Methodist Dallas Medical Center and died after arrival, according to Law Officer.
Jackson’s cause of death has not been confirmed, but CBS News Texas reported that the 31-year veteran may have had a heart attack.
He could be seen on his doorbell camera collapsing, and it does not appear that anyone came in contact with him prior to the possible medical emergency, according to NBC 5.
Dallas Police Department (DPD) officials said Jackson was assigned to the department’s southwest patrol and was expected to retire early next month.
“He was a great man. He’s going to be very sorely missed. Our hearts go out to the family and friends and we certainly will miss him as a department. We’re glad that he spent with the time with us serving,” said DPD Police Chief Eddie Garcia, per NBC 5.
Although unconfirmed by authorities, the heat could have contributed to the death.
Christian Grisales, public information officer for Dallas County Health and Human Services, previously said that heat-related illnesses are increasing across the metroplex amid the summer’s intense heat wave.
“The week before we only had about 25 cases and now, we’re seeing a doubling of cases,” said Grisales, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. “Monitor your symptoms, often times we ignore those and it’s your body telling you telling you that something is wrong.”
Last month, a Dallas U.S. Postal Service worker, Eugene Gates, collapsed on a lawn during his shift and later died. The heat index on the day he was working reached 115 degrees.
“[Gates’ death is] definitely sad, you know,” said Chase Thomas, whose neighborhood was on Gates’ mail route, per NBC 5. “This time of year it can be dangerous being out in the heat in the afternoon.”
