For the second time in less than a month, the Georgia State Patrol is mourning the loss of one of its troopers killed in the line of duty.
Trooper First Class Chase Redner was fatally struck by a vehicle while he was investigating a Clayton County crash along I-75 that killed 68-year-old Nathaniel McCreary.
McCreary, a contractor for the Georgia Department of Transportation, had been setting up a work zone in the northbound lanes of the interstate when he was fatally struck around 8:30 p.m. Monday, officials said.
Redner, 31, was at the scene of that initial crash near Mt. Zion Boulevard when he was hit shortly after midnight Tuesday.
GSP officials said that a driver in a black Kia Forte was headed north when the car veered into the construction zone and struck McCreary, who died at the scene.
“I love my dad so much and I need help to give him a proper burial back home in Jacksonville, Florida,” his daughter, Alyssa McCreary, wrote in a GoFundMe campaign. “Anything will help and thank you for the help!”
Redner died hours later at Grady Memorial Hospital, the GSP said.
Authorities have not released any details about the vehicle that struck Redner or if charges are pending against either driver.
Redner’s death comes just over three weeks after another trooper, 28-year-old Jimmy Cenescar, was killed in a crash while attempting to arrest a fleeing motorcyclist on I-85 in Gwinnett County.
Redner had been with the state agency since graduating from trooper school in 2017 and had no other law enforcement experience, according to Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council records. His certificate was in good standing.
“The Department of Public Safety sends its sincerest condolences and prayers to TFC Redner’s family and co-workers,” the GSP said in a statement. “Please keep TFC Redner’s family in your prayers as they cope with the loss of their loved one.”
Redner worked out of a Forsyth County post and was a familiar face to law enforcement colleagues in that area, including deputies in Dawson County.
“He was an all-around great human and loved by everyone who knew him,” Sgt. Matthew Blackstock with the Dawson sheriff’s office told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He worked in our area for a long time. We would see him in different capacities, whether it be vehicle accidents or traffic stops. We got to know him very well.”
The sheriff’s office had invited Ladner to participate in a podcast offering public safety tips, Blackstock said.
“Everybody that knew him loved him and appreciated what did,” Blackstock said. “He will be greatly missed.”
Gov. Brian Kemp, who recently spoke at Cenescar’s funeral, offered his condolences Tuesday, saying, “Today, we are reminded of the painful price paid by far too many heroes for our safety and the well-being of the places we call home.”
”Marty, the girls and I are devastated by the news of Trooper Chase Redner’s sudden and tragic passing,” he wrote on social media. “As the second state patrolman to die in the line of duty in less than a month, our hearts are broken for his mother and fiancée, for his friends and community, and for the entire Department of Public Safety family.”
Redner is the 19th officer to die in the line of duty across the country this year, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, which tracks law enforcement deaths. He was the third Georgia law enforcement officer killed in less than a month. The state has had more officers killed in the line of duty (4) than any other state so far this year.
On Jan. 4, Deputy Eric Minix, 31, with the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office died after being hit by an Alabama police officer’s patrol car as he stepped out of his own vehicle at the end of a pursuit, according to investigators.
Cenescar was killed just over three weeks later on Jan. 28. The 21-year-old motorcyclist Cenescar was pursuing was later charged with murder and vehicular homicide.
On Feb. 6, Crawford County Deputy Timothy Tavarus Rivers, 40, was killed while responding to assist another deputy when his patrol vehicle crossed into the opposite travel lane on Marshall Mill Road and collided head-on with a vehicle, troopers said.
Since its inception, the State Patrol has lost 29 troopers in the line of duty.
In September 2022, a trooper cadet who collapsed during training and later died at the hospital became the first to die on duty since 2010.
Two days after Christmas that year, Trooper First Class Chadwick LeCroy was killed when he approached a pursuit suspect who opened fire. Gregory Favors was later convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
The state agency also lost a K-9 in the line of duty on Oct. 7, 2022. Figo died after being shot during an investigation.
GEORGIA OFFICERS DIE IN THE LINE OF DUTY
Four Georgia law enforcement officers have died in the line of duty during the first eight weeks of 2024.
Tuesday: Trooper First Class Chase Redner was fatally struck by a vehicle while he was investigating a crash that left a construction worker dead on I-75 in Clayton County. Redner died from his injuries.
Feb. 6: A Crawford County sheriff’s deputy died after being involved in a two-vehicle wreck while on duty. Timothy Tavarus Rivers, 40, was responding to assist another officer when his patrol vehicle crossed into the opposite travel lane on Marshall Mill Road, about 20 miles southwest of Macon, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
Jan. 28: Trooper Jimmy Cenescar with the Georgia State Patrol died in a crash while attempting to stop a motorcyclist in Gwinnett County, according to investigators. He was 28. Cenescar lost control of his Dodge Charger, which struck a guardrail, hit a DOT sign, traveled down an embankment and hit multiple trees and large draining rocks before striking a retaining wall.
Jan. 4: Deputy Eric Minix with the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office died after being hit by an Alabama police officer’s patrol car as he stepped out of his own vehicle at the end of a chase, according to investigators. The deputy had been involved in a pursuit of a stolen vehicle on I-85 that extended into Chambers County, Alabama. Minix, 31, is survived by his wife and three children.
