Locust Grove, GA – Locust Grove Police Officer Chase Maddox was murdered in the line of duty on Friday morning.

Officer Maddox, 26, responded to a request for backup from two Henry County Sheriff’s Office deputies who were attempting to serve a warrant on a resident in a home location on St. Francis Court in the Hawthorne in Linden Park subdivision.

Deputies radioed for assistance when the suspect did not appear to want to cooperate, and Henry County Sheriff Keith McBrayer said that Officer Maddox arrived on the scene to back them up within three minutes.

When the deputies and Officer Maddox tried to take the suspect into custody, the suspect resisted and opened fire.

Officer Maddox was fatally shot, and two deputies were wounded. All three were transported to Atlanta Medical Center where Officer Maddox was pronounced dead.

The suspect was shot and killed by police at the scene. Police had not released his name or any information about his weapon at publication time.

Officer Maddox lived in McDonough with his wife, Alex Maddox, and their son. Officer Maddox and his wife were expecting another baby next week.

Locust Grove Mayor Robert Price told WSB-TV that Officer Maddox starting working at the department when he was 22 years old.

Officer Maddox was the only officer Locust Grove had ever hired directly out of school, Price said.

He called Officer Maddox “a smart young man,” and said he was one of Locust Grove’s better police officers.

Law enforcement from across the nation reached out to support the Locust Grove Police Department, and the fallen hero’s family.

A crowdfunding campaign has been set up for his family at OfficerDown.US

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Locust Grove Police Officer Chase Maddox, both blood and blue. Godspeed, we will take the watch from here. Thank you for your service.

Officer Chase Maddox, your life mattered.