As community members and fellow law enforcement officers mourn the loss of two Cobb County deputies killed in the line of duty, fundraising efforts have been set up to help the families they left behind.
Deputies Jonathan Randall Koleski and Marshall Samual Ervin Jr. were killed Thursday evening serving an arrest warrant in a quiet Cobb neighborhood. The pair were attempting to arrest Christopher James Cook Jr. when Christopher Patrick Golden opened fire from inside a home in the Hampton Glen subdivision, Cobb police Chief Stuart VanHoozer said.
At a news conference Friday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the fatal shooting, Cobb Sheriff’s Foundation founder Robert Haley said the organization will be accepting money to support the families of Koleski, 42, and Ervin, 38.
“We join our entire community in mourning the tragic loss of two Cobb County sheriff’s deputies killed in the line of duty,” Haley said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, the deputies who made the ultimate sacrifice, and their family and friends.”
Koleski and Ervin were both married and had been employed with the sheriff’s office for many years, Sheriff Craig Owens said. Koleski had been with the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office since his law enforcement career began in 2007. Ervin, a father of two, had been with the agency since his law enforcement career began in 2012.
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.
Owens initially said the deputies were ambushed while returning to their patrol vehicles after knocking on the door and finding no answer. On Friday, officials clarified that the alleged gunman fired from inside the home. There was an exchange of gunfire, VanHoozer said, but it wasn’t immediately clear if both deputies fired their weapons.
“My mother Linda (Sue Marchetti) got news that no mother should ever get: her son, my brother, was ambushed, shot in the line of duty serving a warrant,” said Koleski sister, Megan Barrios, on a GoFundMe campaign. “An Army hero, a combat veteran, a decorated (sheriff’s deputy), a devoted husband and a man of honor was lost for simply doing his job.”
VanHoozer, whose agency is leading the investigation into the deputies’ slayings, said both suspects lived at the home in west Cobb. Cook had three outstanding warrants from this year, according to court records.
Credit: Chart Riggall / Marietta Daily Journal
Credit: Chart Riggall / Marietta Daily Journal
Golden, 30, was booked into the Cobb jail on two counts each of felony murder and aggravated assault. Cook, 32, was being held on six theft charges from arrest warrants dating back to June, records showed. Cook was not charged in connection with the fatal shootings of the deputies.
“I wanted to see the individuals who committed this heinous act against my deputies and I wanted to look them in the eyes,” Owens said while the suspects went through their first appearance hearing Friday afternoon.
Credit: Chart Riggall / Marietta Daily Journal
Credit: Chart Riggall / Marietta Daily Journal
The two deputies were the fourth and fifth Georgia law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty this year.
Owens said the agency has received an outpouring of support from police departments across the country and world. He added that the agency is “heartbroken” but law enforcement officers still understand the responsibility that they bear.
“It’s tremendously hard for us to (go back to work),” Owens said. “We have a job we still must continue to do even though this unfortunate incident hit our family.”
No funeral plans have been publicly announced. On Friday, Owens said his office was still working on figuring out how to honor the slain deputies.
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