WOODWORTH, N.D. — The 57-year-old man who drowned Sunday morning, Oct. 26, near Woodworth was a lieutenant with the Knoxville Police Department in Tennessee, according to the department’s Facebook post.

Gordon Gwathney, of Knoxville, died after the kayak he was in tipped over in a slough about 15 miles northwest of Woodworth, according to information provided by the Stutsman County Sheriff’s Office.

Gwathney was on a duck hunting trip with three friends.

“This is an incomprehensible loss for our agency and the entire Knoxville community,” Knoxville Police Chief Paul Noel said in the Facebook post on Sunday. “Gordon was beloved by our department and so many members of our community. He was a truly exceptional police officer who mentored generations of officers, dedicated his entire life

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