The community is showing support to the family of a Bow police officer who died in an accident at his Epsom home on Tuesday, Nov. 24.

Officer Nathan Taylor, 34, died in the backyard of his Goboro Road home about 10:30 a.m. Taylor was cutting hedges with a chainsaw when it kicked back and struck his upper body, according to media reports. Taylor had built the home for his family.

Epsom police have provided few details surrounding the fatal incident, but said in a statement it was considered accidental.

Taylor had worked for Bow police since February 2008 and for Loudon police for the two years prior. He was a 1994 graduate of Pembroke Academy.

Within hours of his death, the Bow Police Association chose to donate all the proceeds of its Thanksgiving day 5K Turkey Trot race to a scholarship that the group established in Taylor’s name. The scholarship will benefit Taylor’s 5-year-old daughter, Hailey.

Several members of Taylor’s family attended the race at Bow High School, including his wife, Kristy, and his mother, Carol Taylor, of Rochester. According to an obituary, he also leaves behind his father, Chuck Hagopian of Florida; two sisters, Karyn Ferrelli of Milton and Melinda Armani of Florida; and a brother, Michael Taylor of Florida.

“He was a great officer and was committed to his family,” Bow Police Chief Erin Commerford said. “And he was part of our family here.”

Commerford described Taylor as hard-working and family-oriented.

“He was always motivated and constantly tried to learn new things,” Commerford said. “He talked constantly about his daughter and wife and doing things with them. He had plans for the holiday, and I just talked to him about that (the day before he died).”

News of Taylor’s death traveled to Bow almost instantly after he died. Firefighter Eliot Berman shared his thoughts on Taylor as he lowered the flag outside the Bow Fire Department to half-mast. Berman often responded to the same emergency calls as Taylor and was invited to Taylor’s house for a Halloween party in October.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in a bad mood,” Berman said. “He liked to joke around and play games, but he was serious about his work.”

“It’s a shock to me and a huge loss to the town,” he said.

Once the 5K Turkey Trot was re-dedicated in Taylor’s honor, police officials said registrations skyrocketed and they ran out of bib numbers and T-shirts.

Bow police dispatcher Tricia Currier, 22, of Gilmanton, said she was touched by the high turnout.

“It doesn’t get much better than this, that people support us like this,” she said. “It’s heartfelt. He was just an all-around decent guy.”