Officer Rank: Police Officer II
Memorial Panel: 61-W -34
Department: Franklin, Tennessee, P.D.
End of Watch: 03/26/2022
Cause: Physical-related incident
Age: 58
Length of Service: 14 years
Officer Carson suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after returning home from his 10-hour shift from 06:00 am to 16:00 pm. During his shift, he responded to a check area call. A driver was traveling at a high rate of speed, left the roadway, jumped the embankment and golf car path, and landed in a sand trap on a golf course. Once Officer Carson arrived on scene, the vehicle was abandoned with air bags deployed. The call then became a search and possible rescue. There was concern that someone from the crash might be on the golf course injured and in need of medical care. Officer Carson and two other officers walked the golf course. The golf course spans 19 acres around rolling hills, deep valleys, waterways, and thick woods. There were no signs of an injured person. He later found the driver at another location and subsequently had a warrant issued for the driver’s arrest. Officers that were on the scene with Officer Carson stated that he seemed very tired at this call.
Officer Carson then responded to a roadway hazard and removed a couch and other debris from the interstate. The couch was on a major interstate with a high volume of traffic. His last two calls involved residential burglar alarms. Officer Carson advised his supervisor at the end of his shift that he felt tired, which was out of character for the officer.
Officer Carson drove home, which is about 30 minutes from the department. Once he arrived home he sat down in his recliner and then fell to the floor unconscious.
