Detective Kevin Collins was described as someone who loved his fellow citizens, his job and his city. He died Monday doing his job as he protected both his fellow citizens and his city.
Police Chief Kelvin Sergeant stood at a lectern Monday afternoon at the Pine Bluff Police Department and delivered the news that Collins, 35, had been killed earlier in the day in a shootout. The chief said he knew Collins five or six years ago when Collins was working at MECA, the Metropolitan Emergency Communication Association, and that even then, Collins wanted to be a police officer.
Collins got that wish in 2015 when he joined the force, and, as the chief said, "he became an excellent officer for the Pine Bluff Police Department. I can tell you at his heart, being a police officer was what Kevin wanted to do."
The incident happened at midday at the Econo Lodge motel in Pine Bluff, where Collins and two other officers, Lt. Ralph Isaac, 42, and detective Kelsey Collins, 28, were met with gunfire, according to the Arkansas State Police, which is handling the investigation. Isaac was hit by gunfire but suffered injuries that weren't life-threatening, and Kelsey Collins was not injured.
Kevin Collins underwent surgery, but at 2:10 p.m., he was pronounced dead.
Collins' passion for life was on display in everything that he did, according to those who knew him.
His neighbor for several years, Robert Blair, was almost in tears as he described his friend.
"I'm really torn up about this," he said. "He was one in a million. You couldn't ask for a better friend."
Blair lived in an apartment complex in White Hall, where Collins lived and was the manager. Blair said there was nothing that Collins wouldn't do to make life better for the residents.
"He treated everyone nice," Blair said. "He'd do a 12-hour shift and still come in and try to help his neighbors."
Blair said Collins used to watch out for Blair's daughter at the apartment complex.
"Not just my daughter but all the kids," he said. "Trying to keep them out of trouble. This just breaks my heart."
Blair, who now lives in Boston, was referring to a time when Collins worked at the Arkansas Department of Corrections, but Blair said Collins knew then that he wanted to be a police officer.
"That was his dream job," Blair said. "He wanted to give back to the community, to make a difference, to make a change in Pine Bluff, Ark. This hurts so bad. I can't say enough about Mr. Collins. I can't believwe he's gone."
Blair, who is a certified nursing assistant, said the two would pass each other as they went their separate ways to work. "He would say, 'Robert, you be careful.' And I'd say, 'You, too, Mr. Collins.' We always said that to each other."
Jesse Turner, executive director of Interested Citizens for Voter Registration, knew Collins' name immediately when asked about him. Turner's group sponsors a monthly event called Coffee with the Chiefs in which fire and police officials mingle with clergy members and residents. At the meeting, police officers are recognized for going above and beyond the call of duty, and Turner said Collins was a frequent winner of the award.
"He was a friendly and caring-type guy," Turner said. "He loved his job; I know that for sure."
Turner, who speaks out regularly against crime, said the loss of Collins was a reminder of the risks all officers face.
"It's heartbreaking and frustrating sometimes knowing the danger that officers go through to protect this city," Turner said. "The members of the Pine Bluff Ministerial Alliance are praying not only for Mr. Collins' family and loved ones but also for every other law enforcement officer."
Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton also offered their sympathy for Collins in press statements.
"Officer Collins paid the ultimate sacrifice while protecting his community and patrolling the streets of Pine Bluff," said Rutledge. "He will be remembered as a true public servant who put on the badge every day making a commitment to protect and serve the people of Pine Bluff."
Said Cotton: "Officers Kevin Collins and Ralph Isaac dedicated themselves to defending the rule of law and the safety of their fellow citizens, and for that Arkansans will be forever grateful."