The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office has announced funeral arrangements for two deputies shot and killed in the line of duty last week.
Deputies Jonathan Randall Koleski and Marshall Samual Ervin Jr. will be honored at separate services on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. The routes for funeral processions for both will be announced later for those wishing to stand along the route to pay their respects, the sheriff’s office said Sunday.
The deputies were killed late Thursday while attempting to arrest Christopher James Cook Jr. at a home in the Hampton Glen subdivision, a usually quiet neighborhood off Barrett Parkway. According to investigating officials, Christopher Patrick Golden, who lived with Cook, opened fire from inside the house and at least one of the deputies returned fire.
Both Cook and Golden were taken into custody Thursday following an hourslong standoff and denied bond during their first court appearances. Only Golden, 30, is facing murder charges in the deaths of Koleski and Ervin. Cook, 32, was being held on six theft charges from arrest warrants dating back to June, records showed.
“We lost two great deputies,” Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens said during a Friday news conference. “These were outstanding men. Men of character and integrity, loved by their families and their kids.”
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Koleski was 42 and Ervin was 38, Owens said. Both were married and had been with the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office since their law enforcement careers began, Koleski since 2007 and Ervin since 2012. Koleski was a veteran, and Ervin was a father of two.
The two deputies were the fourth and fifth Georgia law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty this year. At the Friday news conference, Cobb Sheriff’s Foundation founder Robert Haley said the organization will be accepting money to support their families.
A scholarship fund will be set up for Ervin’s two children, Haley said. The foundation will also provide the wives and families with resources and funding for their immediate needs, including an attorney.
Koleski’s family has also established a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his wife, Amy, and his mother, Linda. His sister, Megan Barrios, said the slain deputy was “an Army hero, a combat veteran, a decorated sheriff, a devoted husband and a man of honor was lost for simply doing his job.”
A visitation for Koleski is scheduled from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday at NorthStar Church, located at 3413 Blue Springs Road in Kennesaw. A service will follow at noon. He will be buried at 2:30 p.m. at the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton.
Ervin will be honored Thursday during a 2 p.m. service at West Ridge Church, located at 3522 Hiram Acworth Highway in Dallas. Visitation begins at noon.
— Staff writer Caroline Silva contributed to this article.
