Colorado Officer Dies on Job from Heart Defect
June 26, 2008
A 30-year-old IBPO member died on Saturday, June 21, of a congenital heart defect after running between bar disturbances while on duty in Pueblo, Colorado.
Nick Heine, a seven-year veteran of the Pueblo police department, was responding to several calls in city’s historic Union Avenue district when he collapsed. Officers tried to administer first aid, but Heine died a short time later at Parkview Medical Center. The coroner said that Heine had a previously undiagnosed congenital heart condition that apparently put Heine’s heart into a fatal irregular rhythm.
Heine, who studied music at the University of Northern Colorado, was a coach for the Runyon Football League and Roncalli Shamrock Football Club in his spare time. He is survived by his wife of seven years, Melissa; daughters Nichole and Rebecca; father Tom and mother Pat, who is a detective and 19-year veteran of the Pueblo police department.