Community honors life of beloved Spalding County sergeant killed in line of duty
SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. - Hundreds of people came out Saturday night to a vigil to honor the Spalding County sergeant who was killed in the line of duty on Friday.
Sgt. Marc McIntyre had been with the Spalding County Sheriff's Office since 2015.
McIntyre, along with another deputy, were responding to a domestic call on Deason Street in Griffin when he was shot and killed on the job.
"We do stand with them," April Shipman, the community member who organized the vigil, said.
"It wasn't just your loss, but it's our loss also," she added.
Community members told FOX 5 McIntyre was one of the most generous people they knew. His own barber shared memories online on Saturday, saying she didn't know anyone who would speak poorly of him.
Sheriff Darrell Dix was moved to tears seeing the number of people who came out to show their support.
"It shows what he meant to the people in this community," Sheriff Dix said. "He's the kind of guy that was like an example of what you want, it's what you would want your kids to be as they grow up."
McIntyre was an army veteran moving up ranks at the sheriff's office to become a supervisor in the patrol division and SWAT team member.
"A lot of times, you spend more time with these folks than you do with your own family, and there are bonds that are built," Sheriff Dix said.
Beloved Sgt. Marc McIntyre killed in the line of duty
Sgt. Marc McIntyre was not just a law enforcement officer, but a military veteran and educator. The 55-year-old sergeant was once again trying to help someone on Friday when he and another deputy pulled up to a home on Deason Street in Griffin. However, Sheriff Dix said this time, he was killed trying to perform a welfare check on 57-year-old Todd Lamont Harper.
Sheriff Dix said losing McIntyre is devastating for their department, but he hopes his memory lives on for how he lived, not for how his life was cut short.
"Lives are like books," he said. "Marc doesn't need to be defined by one sentence and one chapter in one book. He lived volumes of books."
Now, Sheriff Dix said the department is leaning on each other for support and wrapping their arms around McIntyre's fiancée, who also works in their office.
"She's leaning on her faith. She is a very strong lady and I know we're going to do everything we can to support her," he explained.
Sheriff Dix also said this was the first time one of his deputies had been shot like this in the line of duty.