MARIETTA, Ga. — A year ago this day, Sept. 8, two Cobb County deputies were shot and killed in the line of duty while attempting to serve a warrant and Friday, a memorial service was held at the sheriff's office.
The mural of Jonathan Koleski and Marshall Ervin, Jr. was painted by Tivani Brundage, a local artist and military veteran, and according to the office, it took over four months. Chairs were built and donated by Hero’s Place, a nonprofit organization that is committed to honoring the memories of law enforcement and firefighters who have passed away while on duty.
"This mural is supposed to represent a harmonic homegoing," Brundage said, "That's letting everyone know that they are at peace."
"They started here, and they'll always hold a special place in my heart, and now that we've put them in concrete, they'll always be here as well," Colonel Michael A. Williams said. He is the jail commander in Cobb County.
Following the two deputies' deaths, a homecoming service, including a law enforcement procession to their funeral services - the community convened again Friday to pay tribute to the fallen deputies.
"It wasn't protest, it was heartfelt sympathy," Lt. Christopher Ledger said at the memorial on Friday.
In what was described as an ambush-style attack, Koleski and Ervin, Jr. lost their lives attempting to serve a warrant for failing to appear for a court hearing for a "theft by deception" charge.
The deputies had gone to the door and rang the doorbell of the home, but no one answered. They were then shot heading back to their patrol vehicle, evidently from a car pulling up to the house simultaneously.
The incident has left the broader law enforcement community in mourning and the neighborhoods around where it happened near Marietta shaken.