Community Reacts to Killing of Animal Control Officer

An unprovoked attack Wednesday took the life of a father, a veteran and a calming animal lover who could be friends with anyone.

. He was there to collect animals left behind when the homeowner was evicted, authorities say.

A day later, coworkers, friends and community members grieved for the Sacramento County Animal Control Officer of 14 years.

"He was just the kind of guy that his smile would just infect you, and you just had to smile or laugh or both," said Mechelle Crites, a fellow Sacramento County Animal control officer. "He just had this aura of a good person–not only to people, but to animals too."

Crites said her favorite memory of Marcum is a call the two went on while Crites was training as a new employee. She described it in a blog post on Patch:

Click here to read a blog written by Crites in tribute to Marcum.

Reached later by phone, Crites said Marcum had a knack for putting people at ease. 

He had a "cool, confident demeanor–you just knew everything was going to be fine and trusted him," she said.

Sacramento County Animal Care and Regulation Director Dave Dickinson, who worked with Marcum for 12 years, described him as a boisterous family man, a hard worker who loved his job and loved to joke around.

"With Roy, any conversation you had with him either started with laughter or ended with laughter," Dickinson said by phone.

He said Marcum was always willing to put everything into his work, helping coworkers and community members, and volunteering whenever an extra need arose.

"He worked his tail off," Dickinson said. "It was a passion for him, working for animals and helping the people as well the animal owners."

Crites said the employees of the county shelter are very tight-knit, and are struggling with the loss of one of their own.

"We've gotta move on, and Roy would be laughing at us, saying 'What's the big deal?' " she said. "That's how he was too, he'd be cracking jokes and making fun of us."

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Scroll through social media posts made on the county shelter's Facebook page and on Twitter above, and click here to read Crites' blog post remembering Marcum.

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Did you know Roy Marcum? How will you remember him? Share a story of him in the comments section below.