Final arrangements have been made for slain Riverdale police Maj. Greg Barney.
Public visitation will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday at Gregory B. Levett & Sons Funeral Home at 4347 Flat Shoals Pkwy. in Decatur, followed by a wake from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Riverdale Town Center at 7200 Church St. in Decatur. A funeral will be held at noon Saturday at the Saint Philip AME Church, 240 Candler Road SE, Atlanta.
Internment will follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens in College Park.
Barney, a 25-year veteran of the Riverdale police force and father to twin 15-year-old sons, was shot twice in the torso during a Thursday morning raid at the Villages on the River apartment complex. He was among several Riverdale police officers backing up the Clayton County Police Department narcotics unit's service of a no-knock drug warrant.
According to information released by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Jerand Edward Ross ran out the back of an apartment during the raid and made it about 200 feet before encountering Barney. Ross shot Barney before a Clayton County officer returned fire.
Ross was critically wounded and, as of Friday evening, remained hospitalized. He has been charged with murder.
Barney, who was not wearing a bulletproof vest, died during surgery at Southern Regional Medical Center. Clayton County police have released little information on the no-knock search warrant that sent him into harm's way. On Saturday, Channel 2 Action News reported that two men were arrested on drug charges during the raid. They've since been released on bond, according to the station.
In the days since Barney's passing, colleagues, friends and loved ones have described the 50-year-old as "a cop's cop" and a family man, tough but caring. He was Riverdale's first black police chief (an interim role) and served at the school resource officer at Riverdale High, among many other roles.
“He loved his job and took great pride in protecting and serving the City of Riverdale,” the Barney family said in a statement. “… Greg was a great husband, loving father to twin boys and a caring friend. We will miss him dearly.”
About the Author
