GA Deputy Dies In Crash; 5th Law-Enforcement Officer Death In 2024

CRAWFORD COUNTY, GA — A fifth Georgia law-enforcement officer has died this year.

Crawford County Sheriff Lewis S. Walker announced Wednesday on Facebook that deputy Timothy Tavarus Rivers, 40, of Bibb County, was killed Tuesday in a crash.

Walker said Rivers was killed around 10:15 p.m. after being involved in a two-vehicle crash at Marshall Mill Road near Hartley Curve.

Though Walker did not fully detail the crash, the Georgia State Patrol said Rivers was traveling south on Marshall Mill while responding to a call to assist another officer.

Rivers' patrol vehicle crossed the center line into the northbound lane and onto the east shoulder, the GSP said. Rivers then made a steering maneuver to the right into the path of an oncoming vehicle that was heading northbound, leading to the crash in the north lane, the GSP said.

Walker said both Rivers and a passenger from the second vehicle were taken to Atrium Navicent Health, where Rivers was pronounced dead. The driver of the second vehicle is being treated for injuries, he said, and the status of their passenger is unknown.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation's crime lab will perform an autopsy to determine Rivers' cause of death.

The GSP's Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team is investigating the fatal crash.

"Prayers for his family and everyone here at the sheriff's office as they go through this difficult time," Walker said in the Facebook post.

Four other Georgia law-enforcement officers have died since the start of the year.

Trooper Jimmy Cenescar, 28, was killed on Jan. 28 after crashing his patrol vehicle in an embankment while trying to conduct a traffic stop on a driver traveling 140 mph on Interstate 85.

Coweta County Deputy Sheriff Eric Minix died the morning of Jan. 4 when he was hit by a police car during a chase while Sgt. Marc McIntyre, with the Spalding County Sheriff's Office, died on Dec. 29 after being shot during a welfare check.

Atlanta Police Officer Kenya Galloway, 44, also died the night of Jan. 4 after he was found unresponsive in his personal vehicle at the Atlanta Police Annex.