Charleston mourns the loss of Police Chief Luther Reynolds
from Staff Reports
On Wednesday, May 17, Charleston Police Chief Luther Reynolds announced to the public that he had made the decision to stop his cancer treatments and enter hospice care after two years of battling the disease.
“Such decisions are never easy, of course—not for our family, and not for all the other families in our community who have to face them every day,” wrote Reynolds in a statement. “It is our hope that by sharing this news publicly, we can also share with these other families some small measure of the love and support we’ve received over the past two years. We want them to know that in these difficult moments, they are not alone, and that our larger Charleston family prays for them as well.”
Chief Reynolds also thanked the citizens of Charleston for giving him the opportunity to serve as their police chief. “Five years ago, you welcomed me and my family into this remarkable city, and with your support, we have built an even better, even stronger police department. I cannot tell you how proud I am of the men and women of CPD, and how honored I am to have led them.”
Five days later Charleston mayor John Tecklenburg released a statement of his own, announcing that Chief Reynolds had passed away.
“Tonight, Charleston has lost not just a great police chief, but one of the finest human beings that many of us will ever know. Luther Reynolds was a modern man of ancient virtues: faith, honor, courage, duty. But most of all, and at his very core, Luther was a man of love. He loved his family, his friends, his life. He loved this city and the brave men and women who keep it safe. He loved God, and in faithful service, he loved his neighbor. Over the coming days, we will mourn Luther Reynolds, for we loved him as much as he loved us. But even today, as our hearts are breaking, we can take solace in knowing that with Luther’s final journey now complete, his weary days of pain have passed, and his timeless days of peace have just begun,” Tecklenburg’s statement read.
Eight days later, the public as well as hundreds of law enforcement members gathered to mourn the loss and honor the extraordinary contributions to law enforcement and the Charleston community of Chief Reynolds. The visitation and celebration of life for the distinguished service and legacy of Chief Reynolds began in West Ashley on Tuesday, May 30 at McAlister-Smith Funeral Home on Bees Ferry Road. Then officers escorted Chief Reynolds to Seacoast Church on Long Point Road in Mt. Pleasant.
Among those who spoke at the service were Chief Reynold’s son Luke Reynolds, his brother Mark Reynolds, Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg, Channel 2 news anchor Carolyn Murray, Chief David Gillespie of the Melbourne (Florida) Police Department, Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County (Maryland) Police Department, Chief Tom Manger, United States Capitol Police, Deputy Chief Dustin Thompson of the Charleston Police Department, Pastor John Suratt of Seacoast Community Church, and Pastor Raymond Scheck. There were also performances by musicians Paul Francisco, Quiana Parler, the Lowcountry Voices Choir, Montgomery County Pipes and Drums Corps, , as well as the Charleston Police Department Honor Guard, Montgomery County Police Department Honor Guard, and Lowcountry Honor Guards.
