LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – As the Las Vegas area mourns the death of 29-year-old officer Colton Pulsipher, those who worked with him are remembering his commitment to his badge and community.
Pulsipher died Thursday when a wrong way driver hit him as he was driving his personal vehicle on his way home from work.
FOX5 spoke with retired Metro Sgt. Ryan Anderson who explained how he took Pulsipher under his wing when he first joined the traffic bureau at 22-years-old.
See the full interview between FOX5’s Victoria Saha and retired Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sergeant Ryan Anderson below:
“I’m a coach now that I’ve retired, and I’ve been telling friends and family it’s like losing an athlete or a student or something because they become like your kids when they work for you at Metro,” Anderson said.
Anderson said the two would later become close as they both lived in Moapa Valley and were members of the same LDS church.
“He had a zest for life I’ve said this before, but he came in immediately just a hard worker. Just wanted to get after it every day. He wanted to have fun at work, he wanted to make sure he was communicating well and wanted to treat the citizens well but also doing what was right for the community. He was just a great member of our squad he kept things fun and lively,” Anderson said.
Anderson, emotional at times, explained how Pulsipher loved gaming, his family, and serving his community.
He recalled last seeing Pulsipher at a church gathering in Moapa a few weeks ago as he helped set up. He did it all while doing so with a baby in his arms.
Anderson said Pulsipher had moved back to Moapa to be closer to his parents and his wife followed him.
“That community is so tight knit and many of them are related in one way or another, family is extremely important to him. I watched his children interact with their dad, they looked up to him as a hero,” Anderson said.
“He was only 22 when he joined jumped right in and his family taught him growing up the value of service. He started serving people at a very young age and chose to make service his career. He had a passion for it and wanted to do what was right for his community and give back,” Anderson said. “He did that.”
Pulsipher leaves behind a wife, and three kids.
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