The Gwinnett Village CID and Gwinnett County Police held a bridge "rededication" ceremony Monday (June 17) to honor James C. "Chris" Magill.
Magill was a Gwinnett police officer who died after being hit by a drunk driver near I-85 in May 1993. The accident occurred while he was waiting in his cruiser for a tow truck to tow the car of a previous drunk driver.
Since his passing 20 years ago, the bridge at I-85 and Jimmy Carter Boulevard has been dedicated to him.
With the anniversary of his death and the construction of the diverging diamond interchange at the bridge, the community improvement district and the county police wanted to remember the fallen officer with a special ceremony at the Westside Police Precinct off Crescent Drive.
"We didn't want our work on the bridge to overshadow Officer Magill's sacrifice in any way," said Chuck Warbington, executive director for the CID. "Having his name on that bridge means a great deal to his family and fellow officers so we wanted to make sure we did right by them as we continue our work on it."
Warbington was among one of the speakers at the event. Along with him was:
- Gwinnett Police Chief Charles Walters, who discussed some of the efforts of his jurisdiction and how officer Magill is remembered by the police force. He also talked about how important the partnership between the CIDs and Gwinnett County PD is as no group can undertake improving the safety of the community alone
- District 2 Gwinnett Commissioner Lynette Howard, who talked about the County’s support, admiration and commitment to public safety
- Gwinnett Sgt. Willie Bailey discussed the DUI Task Force’s annual sweeps where they target and enforce the “Move Over” laws as a way of remembering Officer Magill
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