A police officer was killed in the line of duty on Wednesday, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
Mark Reynolds, a 43-year-old South Carolina State Transport Police officer from Florence, suffered a medical emergency during training Wednesday evening and died, Department of Public Safety officials said in a news release.
Reynolds’ cause of death has not been made public. Information about the type of training Reynolds was participating in when he suffered the medical emergency was not available.
“The death of Officer First Class Reynolds is a great loss, not only to the State Transportation Police, but to the entire Department of Public Safety,” SCDPS Director Robert Woods said in the release. “We all hug our families a little closer tonight and pray for Mark’s wife, children, friends and loved ones who are still reeling from this sudden loss.”
After serving as a firefighter and professional truck driver for more than a decade, Reynolds joined the State Transportation Police in 2022, the release said. He was assigned to Region 5, which includes Florence, Williamsburg and Georgetown counties, officials said.
Reynolds was the first State Transportation Police officer to be killed in the line of duty since the Department of Public Safety was created in 1993, the release said.
“Today is a very sad day for the State Transportation Police. To all who knew Mark personally, he was loved, respected and extremely reliable,” STP Col. Dwayne Wilson said in the release. “He was dedicated to his job and lived a life of service to the state, through his years as a firefighter and most recently as one of our troopers. He will be greatly missed.”
According to the Department of Public Safety, no information is yet available regarding a memorial service for Reynolds, but it will be shared with the public once plans are made.
