Police Officer Robert Tyrone Kearse, Sr.

Robert Tyrone Kearse, Sr.

Police Officer Robert Kearse suffered a fatal asthma attack while en route to an alarm call at 9:00 p.m.

Earlier in the evening, Officer Kearse had responded to a disturbance at a park where he and other officers broke up multiple fights. Immediately afterward, he checked in with dispatch and was winded. While on his way to an alarm call, he called dispatch in distress at 18th Avenue and Wynnton. Officers arrived on the scene and found him unresponsive. Despite life-saving measures, he was unable to be revived.

Officer Kearse was a United States Marine Corps veteran and had served with the Columbus Police Department for eight months. He is survived by his wife and two children.