LAPD officer dies days after suffering spinal cord injury during training
LOS ANGELES - An officer with the Los Angeles Police Department died Sunday, days after suffering an injury during a training exercise, according to LAPD Chief Michel Moore.
Officer Houston Tipping, an officer out of the Devonshire area, died in the hospital after a training incident at Elysian Park Academy this past Thursday, May 26. Tipping was a five-year veteran of the force, according to the Los Angeles Police Protective League.
According to LAPD, the 32-year-old was acting as a bike instructor at the academy, working through a training scenario that involved grappling with another officer. During the demonstration, Tipping apparently fell, resulting in a "catastrophic spinal cord injury" according to the department. Other officers there worked to give Tipping CPR, and called Los Angeles Fire Department rescue crews. Tipping was brought to Los Angeles County USC Medical Center. Despite doctors' efforts, Tipping died from his injuries Sunday.
Chief Moore called Officer Tipping, "a bright and uplifting young man with a full life in front of him," in a tribute Tweet Sunday. "Grief, sorrow and sadness. May God welcome him home and comfort his family, friends and partners."
LAPD says the department is investigating the incident.
"We grieve this tragic loss," Moore said in a statement. "I am proud of Officer Tipping’s training classmates that immediately sprang into action, initiating CPR and other life-saving measures as well as the work of the LA Fire Department. I’m also grateful for Dr. Kenji Inaba and the incredible medical staff at Los Angeles County USC Medical Center for doing everything they could to save him.
The LAPD Protective League released a statement on Tipping's death, which read in part:
"Today our city lost one of its young heroes, LAPD Officer Houston Tipping. A five-year veteran, Officer Tipping patrolled the neighborhoods of Devonshire and worked as a bike instructor. He loved serving as a police officer and is remembered by his friends and family for how he loved and made people laugh."
Tipping is survived by his parents, Shirley and Rich; his stepfather Bob; his siblings Kat and Tyler and his girlfriend Brittany, according to the LAPD Protective League.