COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — The Coweta County community came together Monday to say goodbye to a favorite son.

Hundreds of mourners including dozens of deputies and police officers gathered at Crossroads Church in Sharpsburg to remember Sheriff’s Investigator Eric Minix.

“What Eric did with his life mattered, and his death mattered too,” Sheriff’s Chaplain Frank Mercer said.

The tribute began with a law enforcement procession that rolled across the county.

Residents lined the route in large numbers as a helicopter formation flew overhead.

It was a fitting honor for someone who dedicated 10 years of his life to police work and made his family proud.

“Eric loved his family, his kids, and his job,” Eric’s father Mark Minix said.

Deputy Minix died in the line of duty on Thursday, Jan. 4.

After a pursuit that crossed into Alabama, a local officer ran over Minix as he got out of his patrol car.

Mourners say it may not be possible to make sense of it all.

He was just 31-years-old and left behind a wife and three young daughters.

A sheriff’s spokesman says Eric’s family of brothers and sisters of the badge promise to look after them.

“Today in this room, right here and now, Trina and the family, we stand beside you, and we stand behind you.”

There is a GoFundMe to help the deputy’s family. You can contribute here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/eric-minix

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