GREENSBORO, N.C. — Sergeant Philip Dale Nix had a big impact on the city. Sergeant Nix helped the Guilford County Family Justice Center become what it is today.
He was the supervisor of the family victims unit with the Greensboro Police Department and was in that leadership role for six years.
It is a place for domestic violence victims to get help and resources, along with those experiencing child abuse, sexual assault, elder abuse, stocking, and more.
It provides wraparound services.
Marcia Jones is a domestic violence survivor. Sgt. Nix helped her get out of that situation and Jones said she owes her life to the fallen officer.
"I've never met anybody like Sgt Nix, ever," Jones said. "He was one of the first people that I met when I came in here."
Jones said she met Nix in 2019 after she was seeking help to get away from her abuser.
"When you have been in a domestic violence situation, you imprison yourself in your own body and in your own mind and he helped me get through that," she said.
Sgt. Nix oversaw the entire case. Jones said Nix helped her four younger children get situated, took her to and from court, and even bought groceries when she was too scared to leave the house.
"He gave us a lot of courage and a lot of things that he did for us helped my kids overcome a lot of their depression and anxiety that they went through," Jones said. "He was our therapist. Just his friendship and his love for my family was our therapy. It was a way for us to heal."
Jones said his death doesn't feel real, but his legacy of saving lives and being a real-life hero will forever live on.
"I think the only thing that can help me get through this situation is just the memories that I have, the conversations that I've had with him that encouraged me to keep going," Jones said. "The community lost somebody very amazing. They lost somebody great. You don't come across people like that every day, and like I said, I've never met anybody like Sgt Nix who is so dedicated to making everything better. He just wanted everything to be better."
Jones also encourages anyone going through domestic violence to seek help at the family justice center. She said the support is life-changing.
"I say this to anybody that's going through domestic violence, there is somebody out there that cares," said Jones. "Not a lot of people who go through domestic violence have the courage to speak or talk. Just Nix's presence alone made you want to talk. For anybody out there that's going through domestic violence, there's somebody that cares. He's gonna be missed, because there's so many people that he's touched, so many people that he's helped. His words and his encouragement for me and my children helped me get where I am. Without it, I would not be where I'm at."
Jones said he was the reason she could trust people again.