A memorial service for a veteran Henry County police sergeant felled by COVID-19 will be held Friday morning outside the county’s public safety headquarters.
Sgt. David Crumpler died Jan. 7 after spending a week on a ventilator at Emory University Hospital Midtown, his younger brother Michael Crumpler told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The 60-year-old was one of three Henry County law enforcement employees to die of COVID complications in a single week. A 36-year-old deputy and a 50-year-old telecommunications operator at the sheriff’s office also died after contracting the virus.
Crumpler was with the Henry County Police Department for 27 years and was well-loved, according to those who worked alongside him. Known to his colleagues as “Crump,” he served in several roles over the years but is best remembered as a training division commander, where he specialized in firearms instruction, defensive tactics and as an explosives technician, department spokesman Capt. Randy Lee said.
“He was a true professional, a moral and ethical leader and will be truly missed,” Lee said.
Crumpler worked for the McDonough Police Department before joining the county’s police force, and served a total of 34 years in law enforcement, according to his brother.
He retired from from the Henry County Police Department in 2015 but returned as a part-time instructor in 2017 because he loved what he did.
When he wasn’t working, the father of two enjoyed spending time with his family and riding his Harley-Davidson. He was a member of the Iron Warriors, a motorcycle club made up entirely of current and former public safety members.
They regularly rode around the state in large groups and attended funeral services for fallen firefighters and law enforcement officers. On Friday, the club’s members will ride through McDonough and pay final respects to one of their own.
Crumpler’s family members aren’t sure where he contacted the highly contagious virus.
“We don’t have a clue,” Michael Crumpler said. “We assume that it was at work, but as you know, COVID knows no boundaries. It could have been anywhere.”
He said his brother’s health deteriorated quickly. He started feeling ill several days before Christmas and was eventually diagnosed with pneumonia, but sent home from the hospital. The following day, he received his positive test result.
“He found out he had COVID on top of pneumonia and within two days he was at Emory,” Michael Crumpler said, adding the police sergeant was physically fit and had no underlying health conditions. “The doctors there told actually told me the Davids of the world perplex them. He was in great shape. They couldn’t figure out why he got it so severely.”
Crumpler his survived by his two sons, Caleb and Myles; his brother Michael; his mother Marilyn and numerous friends, relatives and co-workers. His service will be held at 10 a.m. Jan. 22 at 108 S. Zack Hinton Parkway in McDonough.
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