Police Chief Randy Colwell Rock Island, Ok. EOW: December 3, 2010 20 Year Vet Father of 7 and husband. Cause of death unknown

FORT SMITH, Ark. — Funeral services will be held Tuesday in Keota for Rock Island Police Chief Randy Colwell.

Colwell was found dead in his office Friday.

The 40-year-old had been Rock Island’s chief for about six months, but was a 20 year law enforcement veteran. He is survived by his wife and seven children.

Colwell’s funeral will be Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the auditorium at Keota High School.

LeFlore County residents are mourning the death of a local law enforcement official. A dispatcher at the sheriff’s department confirms Rock Island Police Chief Randy Colwell passed away Friday afternoon.

Colwell was found dead in his office at the town hall. The sheriff’s department as well as investigators from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation were called to the scene. No foul play is suspected.

Rock Island’s current police force has only been in place since the spring.

The Leflore County Sheriff’s Department said the body of Rock Island Police Chief Randy Colwell, 40, was found Friday afternoon in his town hall office.

"I came home for work, and I heard the ambulance coming through," said Teresa Call, a lifelong Rock Island resident. "Not within long after that you saw other police officers coming and just being here just to support everyone."

LeFlore County Undersheriff Donnie Edwards said that at about 3 p.m., another officer found Colwell unresponsive in a chair.

Investigators from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation were at the scene because Colwell died while on duty. Officials told 40/29 News they don’t suspect foul play in Colwell’s death.

"He was very nice," Call said. "He was at the corner mart one day, and I sat and had lunch with him and talked over some things that we had going on. He was very pleasant, and it didn’t bother him that I interrupted him during his lunch."

To Call, Colwell was not only an officer but a friend to the community. Call said Rock Island had not always had police representation. She said Colwell had been chief only about six months.

"It felt safer here, because we’ve been having quite a few break-ins around and it seemed like it had calmed down since we had police officers here," Call said.

Christy Humphries works at an area gas station. She said Colwell was known for coming into the store and talking with residents.

"Everybody liked him," Humphries said. "He was a nice guy."

Officials said before coming to the Rock Island department, Colwell worked at the Bokoshe Police Department. Call said Rock Island won’t be the same without their chief.

"It’s going to be a big void," Call said.

Colwell’s body has been sent to the state medical examiner’s office for an autopsy.