FORREST CITY, Ark. — An Arkansas Highway Patrol officer has died after a long battle with COVID-19.
According to his obituary, Matthew "Chandler" Moore, 34, died Sunday, September 5. He was from Forrest City.
Moore leaves behind a wife, two children, siblings and parents.
Visitation will be held Wednesday, September 8 at 11 a.m. with the funeral to follow at 12 p.m. at Twin Assembly of God Church in Palestine, Arkansas. Burial will be at Bell Cemetery.
The First Judicial District Drug Task Force shared the sad news of his passing on Facebook and released the following statement:
"We are heart-broken to learn of the passing of a young brother in blue: Chandler Moore, Arkansas Highway Police, End of Watch 9-5-2021. He was a kind, professional, and well-respected policeman and a friend to so many in our district."
Forrest City Police Chief Deon Lee posted this to Facebook: "It is with a heavy heart that I come to you today and ask for your prayers of strength and protection. Today one of our own is being laid to rest. Some would say that Mathew Chandler Moore became a part of our family in 2008 upon graduating the police academy. However you would have to go far beyond that date. You see, in this business, your kids have a much bigger family. We watch each others kids grow up as closely as any aunt, uncle, or close cousin. Seeing Chandler, as he was known to me, grow up with his father Lieutenant Edgar Moore was like watching any of my nephews grow up. We laugh at the good times and we shed tears during the proud times. Seeing Chandler grow up into the integrity filled man that he was made me as proud as seeing any of my children become successful in life. The day he graduated the police academy and seeing him come to work in that uniform, you would have thought he was going to be a force to be reckoned with. But while he was a towering giant, it was his heart that made him bigger than life. Chandler was a caring police officer and it was easy to see why he followed in his father's footsteps. He was the genuine definition of a civil servant. He was the type officer that was always there, no matter the danger, to protect his fellow man! Chandler was also a great family man! One scroll of his social media will show even the most distant stranger that he was a beloved son, husband, and an absolutely wonderful father! I feel as though he chose this job because he knew that it was important to protect that which is most sacred to each and everyone of us, OUR FAMILY! Today we lay Sgt. Mathew Chandler Moore of our beloved family to rest. Rest easy brother, we have the watch from here!"
