Spalding deputy killed in line of duty remembered as altruistic leader

While responding to a disturbance at a Spalding home Friday morning, Sgt. McIntyre was killed by a shotgun blast in front of a colleague, Sheriff Darrell Dix said. McIntyre had been with the sheriff’s office since 2015 and was a military veteran who served in Iraq.

It was that evening when Maman, who has been in Israel in reserve duty in the war, said he found out his friend had been killed while he was on the phone with his wife and kids wishing them a good night.

Maman met McIntyre when he became a reserve deputy with the sheriff’s office in 2018. He said McIntyre frequently trained under him and described him as a “dedicated warrior.”

McIntyre and another deputy initially responded to the home on Deason Street just outside Griffin regarding a domestic situation. As they were walking across the yard, Todd Lamont Harper, 57, allegedly began to fire his shotgun from a window, Dix said.

McIntyre was shot in the head and immediately fell to the ground. The other deputy returned fire and retreated without being able to carry McIntyre to safety.

“They had known each other a long time,” Dix said about the two deputies. “To see your supervisor get shot steps away from you, and seeing him lying on the ground and knowing that you can’t get to him because you’re taking gunfire is a horrible thing for anyone.”

Harper barricaded inside the home after the exchange of gunfire, prompting a large police response to the area and a standoff. Harper was eventually taken into custody and lodged in the Spalding jail. He is facing a charge of murder.

McIntyre was sworn in by Dix in September 2017. Dix said McIntyre, a shift supervisor, was always a friendly face.

“I have an entire shift of deputies who worked with this supervisor who are absolutely devastated. This supervisor was one of those guys that every time you saw him, he was smiling. He would call your name across the parking lot just to say ‘Hey’ to you,” Dix said.

Maman echoed the sheriff’s words, adding that McIntyre had a big heart, was always willing to help others and was approachable.

McIntyre is the second Spalding deputy to die in the line of duty in the past 18 months and the fourth in the agency’s history, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, which tracks law enforcement deaths.

In July 2022, a Spalding deputy died after a large tree fell on his vehicle, killing him instantly, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Former Sheriff James “Dee” Stewart died in July 2011 from injuries sustained in a crash, and the agency lost two deputies in a December 1980 crash.

Credit: Contributed

Credit: Contributed

Spalding State Court Judge Josh Thacker was saddened by McIntyre’s death and described him as a mentor to the next generation of law enforcement officers.

“Goodbye Marc, you have been an amazing member of the Spalding County team. You were a wonderful leader and human being,” Thacker said Friday evening. “Words cannot begin to express our gratitude to you for your exemplary service to the United States of America and your sacrifice you made today for Spalding County. It is always too soon to say goodbye. We will miss you so very, very much.”

Maman shared in that sentiment and expressed how much his 9-year-old son was impacted by McIntyre. He recounted that a few months ago, McIntyre provided his son with a hands-on lesson about how to operate a patrol vehicle. Even now, Maman said his son still regularly talks about the experience.

Before going to sleep Friday evening, Maman said his son, who did not know about McIntyre’s death, told his mother, “When I become a police officer, I’ll be able to help so many people.”

For Maman, the statement wasn’t a mere coincidence; it serves as evidence of the lasting impact McIntyre made on his son.