Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief Riley Scott Sumner and Reserve Officer Matthew Tuttle were killed in a helicopter accident in Scio Township while providing aerial support for officers who were involved in a foot pursuit.
The foot pursuit started during a traffic stop on I-94. Chief Sumner and Reserve Officer Matt Tuttle responded to the location in Reserve Officer Tuttle's personal helicopter to help track the suspect.
The helicopter crashed near the intersection of Staebler and Jackson Roads, killing the officers.
Chief Sumner had served as a sworn officer with the Chelsea Police Department for 19 years, and had served an additional 4 years as a dispatcher.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-5900FED6- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Chief of Police Sumner gave the Chelsea Police Department 19 years.
Thank you for your service to the Chelsea community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Sumner.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police Riley Scott Sumner is one of 10,095 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,587 officers honored here.
In MI, 229 of 718 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.9% of this state's fallen. That is 0.9 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Chelsea Police Department, 2 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Riley Scott Sumner's cause is highlighted.
How Riley Scott Sumner Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Riley Scott Sumner is highlighted in Apr.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Chelsea Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
