COLFAX, N.C. — A community is mourning the loss of Greensboro Police Sergeant Philip Dale Nix. He was killed in a shooting at the Sheetz gas station on Sandy Ridge Road in Colfax.
WFMY News 2 spoke to his family and friends who told us about Sgt. Nix's dedication to service.
Tracy Fulk worked with him before retiring, she said in the two decades of knowing Sgt. Nix. He was always someone the police department could count on.
"In his career he’s been everywhere. He was a guy you can go to if you needed anything," Fulk said.
She's a retired GPD Sergeant and represents North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 79.
Sgt. Nix wore many hats at GPD, and formed a family across agencies.
His uncle, Skip Nix is a retired assistant chief for Greensboro's Fire Department. He told us several members of their family have worked for the agency totaling nearly 160 years of service to the City of Greensboro.
Sgt. Nix served as a 911 dispatcher before becoming a police officer at GPD. He served the city faithfully for 23 years.
"It's a brotherhood, a true brotherhood. We as a family had such a connection with both fire and police." he recalled.
His uncle said his nephew's heroism is a testament of his character.
"John 15:13 says greater love have no man that a man lay down his life for a friend. Every citizen he defends is a friend. That's what he signed up for, that's what he took an oath for and he lived it all the way to the end of his life," Skip Nix said.
"It is so sad, our family is totally devastated over what took place."
Sgt. Nix was off duty Saturday afternoon when he saw a crime in progress, tried to stop it, and was shot. Coincidently, another off-duty officer and a Guilford County paramedic were on the scene. They rushed to help Sgt. Nix , but he later died at the hospital.
"He was chasing the criminal when he was shot and killed. He wasn't backing up. He wasn't running away. He was chasing the criminal," Skip Nix exclaimed.
He said his nephew is a man of service, honor, and compassion.
"That's the one thing about public servants... fire, police, EMS. You're never off duty. If you see trouble you're gonna run towards trouble. When he saw the robbery in progress, he was there as a police officer to intervene," Skip Nix said.
Greensboro police remembered Sgt. Nix as a loving husband and father during a press conference Saturday night.
"He was a loving husband, father, son, and brother... We ask for prayers for the family of the fallen officer and our Greensboro PD family," Greensboro Police Chief John Thompson said.
"This is difficult this is one of the hardest things things that I have faced as mayor words or inadequate right now. There's really nothing I can say that's gonna give the family or the officers any comfort. What happened today was a senseless act of violence and we have to remember that," Mayor Nancy Vaughan said during the press conference.
During his time with GPD, Sgt. Nix worked as a Criminal Investigations Division (CID) Detective, Patrol Corporal, Patrol Sergeant, Police Training Officer, Financial Crimes Detective and his most current assignment was as Supervisor of the Family Victims Unit.
As Supervisor of the Family Victims Unit, he served as part of the Elder Justice Committee, the Domestic Violence High Risk Team and routinely assisted with the Friends Against Fraud and Vital Signs Programs.
He was also a Team Leader for the Peer Support Team for over 12 years and was the current Assistant Team Leader of the GPD Honor Guard.
Sgt. Nix had been a member of the US Secret Service Financial Crimes Task Force and the U.S. Attorney’s Identity Theft Task Force.
He was also one of Guilford County’s leading experts on Non-Fatal Strangulation Investigation.
Sgt. Nix received his BA from UNCG and was awarded several awards including the Greensboro Merchant Association’s Crime Prevention Award, his Department’s Superior Service Bar, and an Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate.
Details for funeral services are still to be announced.
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