NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - The New Haven, Connecticut, Police Department is in mourning after the sudden and unexpected death of a veteran officer while visiting family in South Carolina.

The department said in a statement that 49-year-old Matthew Myers died Tuesday.

Myers attended high school in Georgetown, South Carolina, and went on to earn a bachelor of science degree from South Carolina State University, where he was involved in the ROTC program. He's been an officer in New Haven since 1998.

New Haven Officer David Hartman says "the New Haven Police Department has lost a caring officer and an amazing human being." Hartman called Myers a "dear friend."

No cause of death was given, but police did not indicate that it was suspicious.