SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. — On Friday, hundreds of friends, family and colleagues gathered to say goodbye to a Spalding County deputy shot and killed just days after Christmas.
Spalding County Sheriff's Sgt. Marc McIntyre, 55, was shot and killed on Dec. 29 while he and his partner were responding to a domestic dispute.
Tributes for McIntyre started Friday morning at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where scores of law enforcement officers from agencies across the metro -- on bikes, in tanks and in cruisers -- gathered, before processing to Griffin First Assembly of God for a funeral service. (Click here to watch the full procession)
Dressed in Hawaiian-themed flowered shirts -- the attire he was known for when he wasn't wearing his uniform -- friends and family of McIntyre shared their personal stories of how he impacted their lives for the better and described the hole he now leaves behind.
"There aren't enough words that can be used to describe how great of a man Marc was," one person spoke about the sergeant. "Marc was very loving person. Literally if you saw him, he was running up to you and greeting you with a kiss on your forehead or both."
Photos: Funeral procession, service for fallen Spalding deputy
Others described how devoted McIntyre was to helping the community -- even going back on street duty after being promoted to investigator so he could interact with the public.
"That's the kind of person Marc was -- a true public servant," speakers said of McIntyre. "He gave up something that he worked hard for because he would rather be in a position to better interact and better help others."
Purely selfless. A preserver of justice. Compassionate. Brave. These are a few of the ways those who knew McIntyre said he would be remembered.
Re-watch the procession and full service below.
MORE ABOUT THE CASE
On Friday, Dec. 29, two deputies, including McIntyre, responded to a 911 call reporting a domestic incident at a home in Griffin. When they arrived and crossed the yard, deputies said, Todd Harper, a 57-year-old military veteran, fired at them from a window with a shotgun.
McIntyre was shot in the head and later died from the critical injury, while the second deputy suffered a broken hand.
Authorities said Harper's wife had called 911, reporting that he had threatened her, leading to the confrontation. Deputies had been to Harper's house multiple times before, including a previous incident in January 2021 where he barricaded himself but didn't fire shots, adding that he had a history of mental health struggles.
McIntyre started working as a detention officer at the Spalding County Sheriff's Office in 2015. Two years later, in 2017, he was sworn in as a uniformed patrol deputy.
Dozens of mourners paid their respects during a vigil the day after he was killed, and local businesses have found a way to support his family as well.
Spalding County Sheriff Daryl Dix told mourners that he doesn't want people to remember Sgt. McIntyre for how he died but, instead, for how he lived. His death left a hole in the hearts of the brothers in blue.