Officer Chandler Sumner died of cardiac arrhythmia due to the adverse effects of toluene inhalation. Officer Sumner was killed in a one-car vehicle accident. His death was blamed on toxic fumes emitted from a large can of tire sealant in the car.

Officer Sumner served with the Harrisonville Police Department for four years and was a member of its special weapons and tactics team. He was survived by his wife, Dawnita Gayle, who he married July 3, 1987. He previously served as a corporal in the US Marines. Interred: Orient Cemetery, Harrisonville, Missouri.