OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Since 2005, Marvell Moore has been a mainstay at the Oak Ridge Police Department.

The longtime criminal investigations sergeant was promoted to lieutenant in January 2023.

tuesday night Moore is dead after complications from a medical procedure just days before. Moore was 50 years old.

“To say it was unexpected is an understatement,” said ORPD Chief Robin Smith.

Moore was a member of the Honor Guard and the SWAT team and was a narcotics investigator, criminal investigations division sergeant and patrol lieutenant.

Moore was also the founder of the Mentorship Program, which paired new officers with more experienced fellow officers to help prepare them for bright futures.

“He became such an influence on so many people, so there are parts of him that will continue his legacy. The next person to step into that lieutenant role won’t be Marvell Moore. But they will be influenced by Marvell Moore,” Chief Smith said.

Moore was also the responding officer in the 2020 survey around Sean Finnegan, who recently received the death penalty for the murder of Jennifer Paxton.

He was the first person to enter the house and made key discoveries in the case, and will later testify in court as early as August 2024.

Moore, originally from the Cleveland, Tennessee area, leaves behind a wife and seven children.

A memorial is being set up outside the Oak Ridge Police Department at the Municipal Building at 200 S Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge. People in the community are invited to drop by with flowers or just view the tribute and share a memory.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.

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