Funeral plans have been finalized for two slain Georgia law enforcement officers, both killed in the line of duty.
Jackson County Deputy Lena Nicole Marshall and Henry County police Officer Paramhans Desai both died Monday, days after they were shot responding to separate domestic incidents.
The funeral service for Desai will be Sunday at the Henry County Performing Arts Center at 37 Lemon Street in McDonough. A viewing will take place from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., when the service will begin, the police department announced.
Citizens wanting to show respect for Desai and his family are encouraged to line the following streets by 8:30 a.m.: North Ola Road between Ola High School and Ga. 81; Ga. 81 between North Ola Road and John Frank Ward; John Frank Ward between Ga. and Lemon Street; and Lemon Street to the entrance of the Henry County Performing Arts Center.
A community prayer vigil is also planned for noon Friday at Henry police headquarters.
Desai’s sister wrote on a GoFundMe page that her brother knew as a young child he wanted to be an officer. And that’s exactly what he did, spending 17 years in law enforcement.
“There is always a cost to pay when you pursue a dream, a passion,” his sister wrote. “And my brother was willing to pay that price to become a police officer. He often said he wanted to die as a cop and that’s how his journey ended.”
Desai is also survived by his wife and two children. Donations for his family are being accepted at the Henry County Police Department at 108 South Zack Hinton Parkway in McDonough, the department said.
The funeral for Marshall will be Monday at 2 p.m. at Free Chapel Church, Braselton campus, at 2001 Cherry Drive, according to Jackson Sheriff Janis Mangum. Memorial Park Funeral Home in Braselton is in charge of the arrangements.
All law enforcement personnel are asked to meet at the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, located at 555 Stan Evans Drive in Jefferson, before 11 a.m. Monday. From there, officers will leave at noon to travel to the church.
“Please continue to pray for Deputy Marshall’s family, her friends, all of us here at the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, along with all law enforcement,” Mangum said in a social media post.
The “Deputy Lena Nicole Marshall Benefit Fund” has been set up at Northeast Georgia Bank, 1775 Old Pendergrass Road in Jefferson, Mangum said. Donations can be made at any Northeast Georgia Bank. A GoFundMe page was also created to assist the family.
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