20-year-old jail officer killed in single-car wreck in South Fulton
A young South Fulton detention officer who had been on the job for only six months was killed last Tuesday after a single-car crash, authorities said.
Christopher Phillips, 20, died after his car veered off Old National Highway and struck a brick wall head-on, according to a South Fulton police incident report obtained by Channel 2 Action News.
I requested the police report from the Fulton Jail Officer’s fatal crash & this diagram is part of it. Something happened while Christopher Phillips was driving that made him veer odd Old National Highway & hit a brick a wall. Story at 5 & 6pm on Ch2 today pic.twitter.com/lMmP2mKxjy
— Tyisha Fernandes (@TyishaWSB) February 19, 2019
Police told Channel 2 something happened in the car to cause him to veer off the road, but the wreck remains under investigation. No further details on the crash have been released.
The brick wall was obliterated during the incident, and a stop sign was knocked down.
This is the terrible scene where 20 y/o jail officer Christopher Phillips lost control & crashed his car into a brick wall. His family buried him yesterday & I spoke to his grandfather exclusively today. My live reports air at 5 & 6pm today on Ch2 pic.twitter.com/IzYrfjdowT
— Tyisha Fernandes (@TyishaWSB) February 19, 2019
Sheriff Ted Jackson sent Channel 2 a statement that said, in part: “He had barely been on the job six months. Christopher was an outstanding young man, and we are deeply saddened by his loss.”
Phillips was buried Monday morning, and his grandfather told the news station he wanted to be a law enforcement officer his whole life.
I knocked on the door of John Phillips today. He’s the grandfather of the Jail Officer Chris Phillips - who died in a single car crash. He was gracious enough to speak to me about Chris & how he was living his dream. Don’t miss my story at 5:38 on Ch2 pic.twitter.com/RwywyfSmzr
— Tyisha Fernandes (@TyishaWSB) February 19, 2019
“He was my go-to person,” John Phillips, his grandfather, said. “He made sure he checked on me and his grandmother because we both — our health ain’t the best — and he done everything he could.”
In other news:
About the Author
Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.
