Henry County Police Chief Nichols presented Officer Evan Williams with a “Chief’s Commendation” award because of his response to a call in early October.

“The award was presented for Officer Williams’s effort in diffusing a situation until negotiators could arrive on scene,” according to an HCPD statement. “The officer’s ability to stay calm, cool and collected played a major role in ending this call with a positive outcome.”

Williams, a two-year veteran of the department, assisted Hampton police on a call involving a suicide attempt. He encountered a man who was sitting in a tree house with a chainsaw and a handgun, according to the police report, and was successful in convincing him to come down and end the situation without incident.

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Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com