Fallen Heroes

Age: 24
Tour of Duty:  3 years 5 months
Badge Number: 26223

Incident Details

Cause of death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Location: 3660 Jervis Court, Rex, Georgia

On Tuesday, November 30, 2021, at approximately 8:39 pm, SWAT Team Operators Field Training Officer Henry N. Laxson  (TAC-10) and Officer Alex Chandler responded to a domestic disturbance call located at 3660 Jervis Ct, Rex, Georgia, where a female victim was laying motionless in the front yard and a juvenile had received a facial gunshot wound. As FTO Laxson and Officer Chandler attempted to capture and arrest the male suspect, the suspect bean firing at the officers. Officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect. Both Officer Chandler and FTO Laxson were struck and the suspect was killed. FTO Laxson was transported to Piedmont Henry Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries; Officer Chandler received non-life threatening injuries. FTO Laxson joined the Clayton County Police Department Family on May 22, 2017. FTO Laxson is survived by his parents, Perry and Denise Laxson, sister, Samantha, and fiance, Stephanie.

 

 

 

Age: 22
Tour of Duty: 11 months
Badge Number: 28649

Incident Details

Cause of death: Vehicle Accident
Date of Incident: Monday, April 19, 2021
Location: Tara Blvd @ North Main Street, Jonesboro, GA 30236

On Monday, April 19, 2021 at 9:40 a.m., Officer Armando C. Mendoza en-route to an authorized part-time job when he was involved in a two-car accident with injuries located on Tara Blvd at North Main Street. Officer Armando C. Mendoza was seriously injured as a result of the accident. Officer Armando C. Mendoza later succumbed to his injures at the hospital on Monday, April 19, 2021. Officer Armando C. Mendoza joined the Clayton County Police Department Family on May 30, 2020 and honorably served the citizens of Clayton County with distinction.

Age: 26
Tour of Duty: 5 months

Incident Details

Cause of death: Vehicle Accident
Date of Incident: Sunday, March 15, 2015
Location: Tara Boulevard (U.S. 19/41) and Old Poston Road

 

On Sunday, March 15, 2015, Clayton County Police Patrolman Darryl Wallace died from injuries he sustained in an automobile crash on Tara Blvd in Jonesboro, GA. Officer Darryl Wallace was killed in a single vehicle crash while responding to a prowler call at approximately 8:30 pm. He had his emergency equipment activated and was attempting to pass another vehicle when his patrol car left the roadway at the intersection of Tara Boulevard and Old Poston Road.  Officer Wallace had served with the Clayton County Police Department for only a year, and is survived by his mother and step-father Andreana and Timothy Merritt, father Darryl, brothers Dierre, Dorian, Darrius and Frederick, and sisters Keyanna and Claudarra.

Age: 24
Tour of Duty: 4 months
Badge Number: 23015

Incident Details

Cause of death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Monday, December 17, 2012
Location: 7233 Davidson Parkway, Stockbridge Georgia

On Monday, December 17, 2012 at approximately 2:45 p.m., Patrolman Sean Callahan was investigating a domestic disturbance call at the Motel 6 located at 7233 Davidson Parkway. As Officer Callahan and Officer Waymando Brown attempted to arrest the male suspect, the suspect began to resist arrest and fled on foot. The officers chased the suspect around the back of the motel where the male suspect began firing at the officers. Officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect. Officer Callahan was struck and the suspect was killed. Officer Callahan was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday, December 18, 2012. Patrolman Sean L. Callahan is buried at the Pineridge Memorial Park located at 2950 Cobb Parkway, Kennesaw Georgia, and is survived by his mother Darlene, stepfather John, and sister Candice.

Age: 25
Tour of Duty: 9 months
Badge Number: 18557

Incident Details

Cause of death: Motorcycle Accident
Date of Incident: Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Location: Tara Boulevard (U.S. 19/41) N/B at Sherwood Drive

On Wednesday, February 28, 2007 at approximately 3:20 p.m., Patrolman Shawn Newlin was working a part-time job as a uniformed officer for Clayton Motor Escort, providing motorcycle support for a funeral procession. As Officer Newlin was travelling northbound on Tara Boulevard north of Sherwood Drive trying to catch up to the funeral procession, his motorcycle struck the rear of a Chevrolet Cavalier. Officer Newlin was ejected from his motorcycle and sustained serious injuries. Officer Newlin was life-flighted to Grady Memorial Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on Sunday, March 4, 2007. Patrolman Shawn R. Newlin is buried at the Fairview Memorial Gardens located at 376 East Fairview Road, Stockbridge, Georgia, and is survived by his wife Laura and daughter Abigail.

Age: 40
Tour of Duty: 17 years
Badge Number: 7531

Incident Details

Cause of death: Vehicle Accident
Date of Incident: Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Location: Tara Boulevard (U.S. 19/41) N/B at Valley Hill Road

On Tuesday, October 18, 2005 at approximately 1:20 a.m., Sergeant Michael A. Davis was travelling northbound on Tara Boulevard at Valley Hill Road when his patrol car struck the rear of a Ford pickup truck. Sergeant Davis’s patrol car flipped several times before crashing in a ditch in the median. Sergeant Davis had to be extricated from the badly mangled police vehicle and was rushed to Southern Regional Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries. Sergeant Michael A. Davis is buried at the Kennedy Memorial Garden located at 2500 River Road, Ellenwood, Georgia, and is survived by his mother Brenda, sister Sheena, and brother Perry.

Age: 29
Tour of Duty: 6 months

Incident Details

Cause of death: Struck by vehicle
Date of Incident: Friday, January 12, 1979
Location: E. J. Swint Elementary School, 500 Highway 138 Southeast, Jonesboro Georgia

On Friday, January 12, 1979 at approximately 7:30 a.m., Crossing Guard Judy Johnson was struck by a vehicle and killed while directing traffic to protect the lives of elementary school children in front of E. J. Swint Elementary School located at 500 Highway 138 Southeast, Jonesboro Georgia. Judy Virginia (Woolf) Johnson is buried at the Jonesboro City Cemetery located in Jonesboro, Georgia, and is survived by her husband Leon, daughters Beth and Bonnie and son Billy.

Age: 50
Tour of Duty: 10 years

Incident Details

Cause of death: Vehicle Pursuit
Date of Incident: Sunday, April 26, 1959
Location: Hwy 42 near Stockbridge City Limits

On Tuesday, April 28, 1959, Clayton County Police Patrolman Fred E. Parker died from injuries he sustained in an automobile crash that occurred on Sunday April 26, 1959. Patrolman Fred Parker and Patrolman A. M. James wrecked their police car while pursuing a fleeing vehicle on Georgia Highway 42 near the Stockbridge city limits. Patrolman A. M. James, who was driving the police car, received minor injuries to his head.

Patrolman Parker was pinned in the police car, which overturned and struck a pole. Patrolman Parker was admitted to the hospital for treatment but did not recover. The cause of the accident was attributed to mechanical failure of the police vehicle’s front wheels. The fleeing suspect was never apprehended. Patrolman Parker served with the Clayton County Police Department only a short while after having served most of his law enforcement career with the City of Forest Park Police Department. Patrolman Fred E. Parker is buried at the former Panthersville Presbyterian Cemetery located at the intersection of Candler Road and Flat Shoals Road in Decatur, Georgia, and is survived by his wife Mary and daughters Elizabeth, Nancy and Judy.