Sheffield Alabama police officer commits suicide
Sheffield AL May 25 2022 Sheffield police are dealing with another officer’s life coming to an end too soon, on the same day that murdered police Sgt. Nick Risner was honored as the officer of the year.
“Chief Terry unfortunately lost another officer late last night or this morning,” says Steve Stanley, the mayor of Sheffield.
Officer John Christian Nix died of suicide late Sunday night. He had served with the department since 2017, and Chief Ricky Terry described him as an outstanding police officer who was loved by the community.
“It’s a very somber day for us at the Sheffield Police Department, once again,” says Lt. Max Dotson.
This loss comes on a day meant to honor Lt. Dotson as well as Sgt. Risner, who was killed in the line of duty in October. The Greater Shoals Rotary Club and the Florence Rotary Club presented Lt. Dotson and the Risner family with the “Officer of the Year” award for Nick’s sacrifice.
“It’s obviously been an emotional year for us,” says Tony Risner, Nick’s brother.
Tony says Nick was very vocal about mental health awareness. “You can never have too much when it comes to mental health because that’s one thing it gets over looked way to much in this country, especially officers,” says Tony.
He says just as change came from the horrific loss of his brother’s life, he hopes change will come from this tragedy as well.
“It’s another one of those instances where something good needs to come out of it. Just like so much good has come out of Nick leaving us,” says Tony.
He hopes more people will have open conversations about mental health after this tragedy.
Suicide is a difficult topic to talk about, but on a day when the community honors one officer killed in the line of duty, it is important to mention another statistic that takes even more officers.
“Now on this very day, some of you may not know, another statistic hits close to home. In 2021, 239 police officers committed suicide. 104 were killed in the line of duty, 239 last year committed suicide,” says Jim Blasingame, a past president of the Greater Shoals Rotary Club.
If you or someone you know is suffering from suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800-273-8255.
