A northwest Georgia police officer died Thursday night, less than a week after he was critically injured in a murder-suicide that left three people dead, officials said.
Chickamauga police Officer Charles Dunn III, 52, was off duty and at the Rock Spring home where Russell David Payne, 54, of Marietta, is accused of opening fire Saturday, killing his estranged wife, Jacklyn D. Payne, 54, and her father, Eugene “Jack” Denny, 79. Russell Payne then took his own life, according to authorities.
The area is just a few miles south of Chickamauga and about 14 miles from the Tennessee border in Walker County.
Dunn was a longtime friend of Jacklyn Payne and Denny, Walker Sheriff Steve Wilson previously said.
After the shooting, Dunn was rushed to Erlanger Baroness Hospital in Chattanooga, where he remained in critical condition until Thursday. He died that night.
An “honor walk” was organized for the same night, and roughly 100 people were in attendance, Wilson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday. The walk is a ceremonial event held in hospitals across the country to recognize organ donors.
“It was an emotional event,” he said.
“Tonight, the world lost a true hero,” the city posted just before midnight Thursday. He ”took his final walk, surrounded by love, before giving the ultimate gift — life to others through organ donation. Even in his passing, his selflessness continues, saving lives just as he always did in uniform."
Dunn had a 28-year career in law enforcement, having served as a Walker County deputy, a U.S. Navy Reserves E5, an officer in Kosovo and a Chickamauga police officer, the city said in a statement.
“Chuck was more than an officer. He was a friend, a protector and a light in the lives of so many. His sense of humor could brighten the darkest days, his kindness knew no limits, and his love for people and animals alike made the world a better place.”
The day of the shooting, Russell Payne allegedly drove to the Wood Station Road home and opened fire into the back of the residence before going inside and continuing to shoot, officials said at the time.
Walker deputies were called at around 7 p.m. When they arrived, they found three people dead inside the house, and Dunn suffering from life-threatening injuries.
Dunn had “appeared to have engaged the shooter,” Wilson said.
“There are no words to truly capture the loss we feel, but there is comfort in knowing that his impact will never fade,“ the city of Chickamauga said in its Thursday statement. ”His laughter, his heart and his unwavering dedication to others will live on in the lives he touched and the ones he now saves."
“Rest easy, Chuck. Your watch may be over, but your legacy will never be forgotten,” the statement continued.
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