Madison officer killed remembered as ‘inspirational leader’ by longtime friend, colleague

MADISON, Miss. (WLBT) - People all across the metro and state are heartbroken after a Madison police officer lost his life in the line of duty.

On Thursday, Officer Herren Randy Tyler was shot and killed during a hostage situation in Brandon.

The hostage situation then turned into a standoff.

A second officer with the Brandon Police Department also received “significant injuries,” but is listed in stable condition.

The suspect, Gabriel Matthew Wilson, 22, is now dead.

Those who know Tyler best described him as someone who took pride in wearing his badge, and he loved serving and protecting his community.

“He was just a man of deep wisdom, an inspirational leader, I don’t think I’d be where I am today without Randy Tyler,” said Chief Brian Myers with the Ridgeland Police Department. Myers and Tyler worked together at the Ridgeland Police Department for nearly two decades. In fact, the two were partners in the criminal investigation division and Tyler also served as his SWAT commander, and later became his police chief.”Randy was a cop’s cop,” Myers expressed. “He was an inspirational leader. He touched so many lives in this building. The men and women that have worked under him loved him. When he left here I missed him. It’s just permanent now.”Myers said he’s still having a hard time coming to grips with the loss of his friend and mentor.

“You can’t replace what’s been taken today,” the police chief said. “This is the harsh reality of what we do here in law enforcement. We put our lives on the line every day, Every day we put that badge on we know that we’re in danger, and we do that for people we don’t even know. It’s a big price to pay.”

The veteran officer worked for the Ridgeland Police Department for a total of 27 years.

Tyler retired from the Ridgeland Police Department in 2015, where he served as the police chief from 2014-2015.

He later came out of retirement and joined the Madison Police Department where he became a member of the department’s SWAT team.

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.

Copyright 2023 WLBT. All rights reserved.