For the second time in less than a week, a metro Atlanta sheriff had the unenviable task of describing one of his deputies who had been killed in the line of duty.
“Eric, he’s like family to each and every one of us,” a tearful Coweta County Sheriff Lenn Wood said during a news conference Thursday afternoon announcing the death of Eric Minix.
The 31-year-old deputy was fatally struck by an Alabama police officer’s vehicle as he got out of his own patrol car following a high-speed pursuit that crossed the state line Wednesday just before midnight, authorities confirmed. The deputy had been involved in a pursuit of a stolen vehicle on I-85 that extended into Chambers County, Alabama.
“He is very much loved,” Wood said. “He is a friend. A father. A son. A brother. But most of all, he was a law enforcement officer first. That’s all he ever wanted to do.”
Last week, Sgt. Marc McIntyre with the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office was shot and killed while conducting a wellness check at a home just outside Griffin. His memorial service is today.
Minix was getting out of his Dodge Charger with his K-9 after the alleged stolen vehicle, a Dodge Challenger driven by 25-year-old Decedric Donson, had been stopped by a tire-deflation device, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said in a news release.
At the same time, Officer Cornelius Robinson, 28, of the Lanett Police Department, who had joined the pursuit, was quickly approaching and couldn’t stop before hitting Minix, Wood said, adding that the K-9 was uninjured. Robinson’s Ford Explorer then hit the Charger and the Challenger.
Minix was rushed to East Alabama Medical Center-Lanier, where he was pronounced dead.
Donson, from Pensacola, Florida, was arrested by Chambers County sheriff’s deputies and has been charged with first-degree receiving stolen property and felony attempting to elude. It is not clear where the chase began, but the vehicle was reported stolen out of Douglas County.
Robinson has been placed on administrative leave.
“Our heartfelt condolences are sent to the family and department. Please keep all involved in your thoughts and prayers,” Lanett police said in a statement.
Wood asked the public to also pray for the Lanett officer and everyone involved in the incident.
“What these men and women do each and every day, it’s dangerous,” he said. “Pray for each and every one of them.”
Minix leaves behind his wife, Trina, and three daughters, who are devastated, Wood said.
Minix started his law enforcement career in 2014 with the Coweta sheriff’s office, according to Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council records. He then spent five years with the Tyrone Police Department before returning to the sheriff’s office.
“We send our prayers and condolences to the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office and the family and friends of Deputy Eric Minix,” Tyrone police said in a statement. “Eric was a friend and brother to us all at Tyrone PD and he will be truly missed.”
About the Author
