Columbus police officer Kelvin Lee died Monday night after a long battle with stomach cancer.
He was 51.
Lee has been with the Columbus Police Department since 1997 as a patrol officer and an investigator. In 2012, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer, which forced him into medical retirement. Community Police Officer Rhonda Sanders said that even after his diagnosis and while undergoing chemotherapy, Lee would still go to court for cases he had worked on.
Sanders and Lee met almost 20 years ago when both lived in the same apartment building. They were both studying to be police officers then. Apart from being a very good investigator, Lee was a true friend, Sanders said.
“(He was) one of a kind,” she said.
Capt. Fred Shelton, who worked with Lee for years, said Lee left an impression on police officers and that, as an investigator, he had a way of calming down situations.
“I would say he left an impression on people,” Shelton said. “He left a sense of responsibility because some of the guys that he dealt with when he was an officer still respect him and wanted to let him know that they were doing well.”
He was a people person, Shelton said.
Lee loved hunting, fishing and Mississippi State University. He was also a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan. He was also a good debater who always had the last word. Sanders explained how the two of them, with another friend, Officer Don Richardson, would have “conversation wars.” Lee never lost.
“You could rely on him for anything,” Sanders said. “If he said he was going to do it, you better bet your bottom dollar he would do it. His word was his bond.”
Lee was also a family man, Sanders said. He loved his wife Ophelia and their two children, a daughter named Alex, who is a freshman at MSU this year, and a son, K.J.
Lee also had an older son from a previous marriage named Xavier, who passed away in Texas a few months ago, Sanders said.
“He loved that boy,” she said.
Lee had the support of people all over the community throughout his battle with cancer. In March 2013, the CPD and the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office set up a fundraiser to support Lee and his family. The departments hosted a catfish lunch and sold T-shirts emblazoned with the logos of the CPD, LCSO, the Columbus Fire Department and Emergency 911, all four of which helped set up the fundraiser.
Sanders said more than 700 people came to the fundraiser.
“Kelvin is one of the most giving people in the world,” she said at the time. “He has given so much to the city of Columbus. We want to give back to him and his family.”
Carter’s Funeral Home is handling the funeral arrangements.
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