UPDATE: Macon Police Officer Died from Enlarged Heart

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A 27-year Macon Police veteran died Sunday night after suffering from a cardiac event.

During a news conference, Macon Police Chief Mike Burns said Lieutenant Mark Cotton had an enlarged heart and died from heart complications.

“Lt. Cotton died at the place he loved, his training camp where he trained everybody,” Burns said. “And he died doing what he loved the most, he was doing police work.”

Lt. Cotton was found dead Sunday afternoon at the MPD Training Center on Jackson Street. Cotton was the MPD SWAT Commander and the director at the Training Center.

Bibb County Sheriff David Davis says the news is shocking.

“The suddenness of it, of someone vibrant and healthy and have a lot to live for, just suddenly taken,” Davis said.

Macon City Councilman Henry Gibson remembers Cotton as an officer who loved his job.

“They were instrumental in putting a lot of drug lords in prison,” Gibson said. “He was only 49 years old.”