NASHVILLE, Tenn.—A Metro Nashville police officer died Thursday after slipping into the swift currents of the Cumberland River while trying to get a suicidal woman out of a car that was quickly heading into the bitterly cold water, Tennessee officials said Thursday.
The Metro Nashville Police Department confirmed “with heavy hearts” in a tweet around 8 a.m. that a fire department diver found the body of 44-year-old Eric Mumaw. Police said Mumaw was an 18-year veteran of the department, “who gave his life this morning in service to Nashville.”
“I know he died doing what he loves. He loved his midnight shift and he gave his life,” Police Chief Steve Anderson told The Tennessean.
Media reported that Mumaw has been recognized multiple times by the department, including receiving the department’s Life Saving Award in 2011 and the department’s Exemplary Service Award in 2003.
Nashville Mayor Megan Berry said in a statement that “our worst fears were realized” with the officer’s tragic death. “Officer Mumaw dedicated his life to the safety and protection of us all, and today he gave his life to that calling.”
