Bibb deputy among fallen officers to be honored at candlelight vigil

Bibb County sheriff’s investigator T.J. Freeman is among the fallen officers being honored at a candlelight vigil Monday.

The vigil is at 7 p.m. at Southside Baptist Church, 1040 South Houston Lake Road. The event is open to the public.

Freeman, 29, was killed when his patrol vehicle was slammed into by a suspect’s vehicle, knocking his patrol car into the side of house. The crash was at Columbus Road and and Buena Vista Avenue in Macon. Martavius T. Kinder, 24, faces felony murder, vehicular homicide in the first degree and reckless driving charges in connection with the crash. Kinder suffered minor injuries in the accident.

The vigil is part of National Police Week activities scheduled by Warner Robins police.

“We feel it is important to honor all of the officers that gave the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty,” Jennifer Parson, public information officer for Warner Robins police, said in an email. “Therefore, we make sure to remember and commemorate their service and their family's sacrifice.

“Even though we respect and honor their service all year long, we especially like to recognize them during national police week,” she said.

According to a list provided by Parson, other law enforcement officers who will be honored at the vigil are:

▪ Montgomery County Sheriff Ladson Lamar O’Conner, 42, was killed June 16, 2015, in police pursuit.

▪ Georgia Department of Corrections Officer Gregory Dale Mitchell, 50, died July 7, 2015, in an industrial accident at the Hays State Prison in Trion.

▪ Georgia Department of Corrections Sgt. James Bryan McCrystal, 47, was killed July 14, 2015, in a hit-and-run crash. He was on his way from Phillips State Prison to a hospital to help supervise an inmate.

▪ Chatham County sheriff’s Deputy Richard Allen Hall, 45, died Sept. 16, 2015, when, while attempting to make a U-turn, his patrol car was struck by another vehicle.

▪ DeKalb County police Officer Kevin Jermaine Toatley, 35, was killed Sept. 19, 2015, when his patrol car was struck head-on by the driver of a vehicle traveling the wrong way.

▪ Georgia Ports Authority Cpl. William Matthew Solomon, 43, died Nov. 19, 2015, from injuries sustained when he was struck by a drunken driver while directing traffic at the Garden Center Terminal in Savannah.

▪ Riverdale police Maj. Greg Barney, 51, was shot and killed Feb. 11, 2016, while helping the Clayton County Police Department serve a warrant.

This story was originally published May 13, 2016 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Bibb deputy among fallen officers to be honored at candlelight vigil."