6 Georgia law enforcement officers have died in the line of duty in 2024

Six Georgia law enforcement officers have died in the line of duty in 2024.

Paulding County Deputy Brandon Cunningham was shot to death Aug. 17 while responding to a domestic violence call near Hiram. He was 30.

The man accused of shooting Cunningham also shot a woman who survived. But after an hours-long standoff, the man was found shot to death by an apparent self-inflicted gunshot.

Credit: Courtesy photo

Credit: Courtesy photo

Three days later, Carroll County Investigator Taylor Bristow was shot while attempting to serve a warrant. He died from his injuries Aug. 23.

Christopher Bly, 40, of Carrollton opened the door of the home and then deputies followed him inside, the GBI said. Bly then fired the gun, striking himself and Bristow. Bly died at the scene, investigators said.

Others killed this year include:

Credit: Coweta County Sheriff's Office

Jan. 4: Deputy Eric Minix with the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office died after being hit by an Alabama police officer’s patrol car as he stepped out of his own vehicle at the end of a chase, according to investigators. The deputy had been involved in a pursuit of a stolen vehicle on I-85 that extended into Chambers County, Alabama.

Minix, 31, is survived by a wife and three children.

“Eric loved his family, his kids and his job,” his father, Mark Minnix, told those gathered at Crossroads Church in Sharpsburg for his funeral. “I never heard him once complain about having to get up and go to work.”

Credit: Georgia Department of Public Safety

Jan. 28: Trooper Jimmy Cenescar with the Georgia State Patrol died in a crash while attempting to stop a motorcyclist in Gwinnett County, according to investigators. He was 28.

Cenescar lost control of his Dodge Charger, which struck a guardrail, hit a DOT sign, traveled down an embankment and hit multiple trees and large draining rocks before striking a retaining wall, investigators said. He had to be extricated from the wreckage and was taken to Northside Gwinnett Hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Days later, a man accused of driving more than 140 mph to get away from Cenescar was arrested and charged with murder.

Earlier this month, Gerson Danilo Ayala-Rodriguez, 21, pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in the crash that killed Cenescar. In addition to the felony charge, Ayala-Rodriguez also was convicted on misdemeanor charges of reckless driving, speeding, two counts each of driving without a license, operating a vehicle without insurance and operating an unregistered vehicle.

Ayala-Rodriguez was sentenced to 20 years, including 17 to serve in prison, the Gwinnett District Attorney’s Office said.

Credit: Crawford County Sheriff's Office

Feb. 6: Crawford County sheriff’s Deputy Timothy Tavarus Rivers died after being involved in a two-vehicle wreck while on duty, investigators said. Rivers, 40, was responding to assist another officer around 10 p.m. when his patrol vehicle crossed into the opposite travel lane on Marshall Mill Road, about 20 miles southwest of Macon, according to the Georgia State Patrol.

Rivers, who ran for Bibb County sheriff in 2016, had been with the Crawford sheriff’s office since September 2022. He previously served with the campus police at Wesleyan College.

Crawford Sheriff Lewis Walker said the deputy, who had two children, had responded to a myriad of calls during his 17 months with the sheriff’s office, but never once received a complaint.

Credit: Georgia State Patrol

Feb. 20: Trooper First Class Chase Redner was killed while investigating a crash on I-75 North near Mt. Zion Boulevard in Clayton County when he was struck by a vehicle, according to the Georgia State Patrol. Redner was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died from his injuries.

He is survived by his mother and fiancée.

“He died doing something he loved,” Linda Stancil-Redner told Gov. Brian Kemp after her son’s death. “Not many people get to do that.”