KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - KPD Lieutenant Gordon Gwathney drowned on Sunday while on a hunting trip in North Dakota, KPD said in a release.

“Gordon Gwathney will always be remembered first and foremost as ‘Officer G’, the friendly, accessible, caring officer who took the time to really get to know the people he was entrusted to serve and protect,” Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon said.

He joined KPD in 1997 before becoming a sergeant in 2003 and then a lieutenant in 2010.

“Early in his career, he was assigned as the first-ever School Resource Officer at Austin-East High School, where he formed countless lasting relationships in the community,” KPD said.

Gwathney was named KPD’s officer of the year in 2013.

KPD said funeral arrangements will be announced in the coming days.

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