There was hardly a dry eye in sight Friday evening as hundreds of mourners gathered in a field to pay their respects to a fallen Holly Springs police officer.
Carrying candles and singing songs of praise, residents and law enforcement officers from across Cherokee County descended on Barrett Park to show their support for Joe Burson’s family. The 24-year-old died late Wednesday when he was dragged by a suspect’s vehicle during a traffic stop on nearby Hickory Road.
His death sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community.
The mood was somber throughout the night as a Holly Springs patrol car sat empty in the field with Burson’s photo on the windshield. About 40 officers from agencies across the county turned on their emergency lights and stood at attention as two vans carrying the slain officer’s family drove onto the field ahead of the vigil.
Credit: Holly Springs Police Department
Credit: Holly Springs Police Department
But the sorrow was palpable when Marykate Burson, the officer’s 22-year-old widow, took her seat at the front of the crowd while members of their church performed “What a Beautiful Name.”
Nearby, Burson’s bandmates from the Atlanta rock group Rusted Soul consoled one another as they choked back tears among the massive crowd of mourners.
“He will always be a part of us,” said John Ward, the band’s guitarist. He recalled the day in 2016 when Burson, an eager 19-year-old drummer, auditioned for the band.
“That first audition we gave him three songs to learn,” Ward said. “He learned six and absolutely knocked it out of the park.”
Credit: Courtesy of Grant Hadley
Credit: Courtesy of Grant Hadley
Grant Hadley, the band’s lead singer, said Burson’s friends and family members are absolutely devastated by the officer’s death.
“He was a really good guy,” Hadley said. “He was living his dream. He married the love of his life about a year ago and just got a house up in Ball Ground.”
Burson, who also performed in the Worship Band at Revolution Church, had just finished building a recording studio in his home and was looking forward to having the guys over to play in it. His wife texted the band early Thursday to let them know he had been killed. Hadley was crushed when he woke up and saw the news.
“I was just shocked, man. I couldn’t even believe it,” he said.
Burson had just returned from a weeklong vacation to Florida with Marykate, and the young officer was killed on his first shift back to work, Hadley said.
Credit: Shaddi Abusaid / shaddi.abusaid@ajc.com
Credit: Shaddi Abusaid / shaddi.abusaid@ajc.com
Holly Springs police Cpl. Naveed Babar helped train Burson when he joined the department about a year and a half ago and the two became fast friends.
“He was the nicest guy,” Babar said. “I’ve never met anyone that could say anything bad about him.”
The young officer’s positive attitude was infectious, and even some of the men he arrested had trouble holding a grudge against him, his colleagues said.
“A guy called in yesterday and told us, ‘He took me to jail, but he was the nicest kid. I want to show up to his funeral,’” Babar said. “Who does that?”
Though Babar and his fellow officers are grieving Burson’s death, he said they’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the community. Every 10 minutes, someone has stopped by the station with flowers, food or money for the officer’s family.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
“There’s so much food we’ve been giving it to other departments,” Babar said.
Lifelong Cherokee County resident Beth Amos said she came because she wanted to support her police department. She cried as she looked out at the officer’s grieving family.
“He was just protecting us and he ended up losing his life,” she said. “He was so young and he had just gotten married. He didn’t deserve this.”
While others have been killed in the line of duty, Burson was the first Cherokee County law enforcement officer killed by a suspect in more than 100 years, Sheriff Frank Reynolds said. The last time it happened was in May 1921, when Bailiff Charles Loggins was shot to death by a man transporting whiskey just outside Canton.
Burson’s funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday at First Baptist Church of Woodstock. Both the funeral service and Saturday’s 11 a.m. viewing at Lakeside Funeral Home are open to the public, but those wishing to pay their respects are urged to line Ga. 92 about 3 p.m. Monday for the officer’s procession.
Burson will be laid to rest at Rolling Hills Memory Gardens, located at 4355 Ga. 92 in unincorporated Acworth. Graveside services will be private.
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