GRAND ISLAND, NE — The Grand Island Police Department is mourning the loss of one of its investigators.

42-year-old Christopher Marcello died of natural causes this week. A news release says Marcello started with GIPD in 2013. He served on patrol and as a school resource officer before becoming a child abuse investigator.

In the release, Captain Jim Duering described Marcello as “a true hero.” He earned the department’s life-saving award, trained future officers and was a member of the department’s Tactical Response Unit. Marcello served 23 years in the Army National Guard and was deployed multiple times to Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. He retired as a First Sergeant.

“He was always willing to shoulder any burden for his fellow officers, and the citizens of our community every day, and do it with a smirk and sarcastic wit that brightened any situation," Duering said. "His cool head and easy demeanor, always improved an outcome regardless of the weight of the situation.”

The police department is asking people to keep his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers during this time of grief.