Edgewood police chief dies on duty

EDGEWOOD, Texas (KLTV) - The death of the Edgewood police chief was announced Monday night. According to the Van Police Department’s Facebook page, David Hammonds has died. The police chief’s end of watch was Monday, the post said. According to Edgewood City Administrator Petra Marley, Hammonds’ death was a sudden shock to the city. The chief was in good spirits the day before his death, and he was found in his office by Lieutenant Robert Dearing. Hammonds and Dearing worked together for many years, Marley said, and the chief died doing what he loved. Dearing released the following on Wednesday: “On Monday, the City of Edgewood suffered a tragic loss. Chief David J. Hammonds received a call from the great dispatcher and answered his final call. David J. Hammonds began serving the citizens of the State of Texas in April of 1969 when he graduated the Texas Department of Public Safety Academy and began his career as a Texas State Trooper. While employed with DPS, David served in the Highway Patrol, License & Weight and Narcotics divisions working most of his career undercover fighting the scourge of drugs in our state. After retiring from DPS, David served the citizens of Van Zandt County as an Investigator working for the District Attorney’s Office. While he was working for the District Attorney, he was approached and encouraged to apply for the Chief’s position at the City of Canton and was subsequently hired.