By Caroline Silva
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ROSWELL, Ga. — The Roswell Police Department lost one of their own Friday evening.
While responding to a suspicious person call at a shopping complex, Officer Jeremy Labonte was shot multiple times and killed, authorities said. He was 24.
“He was universally beloved by all who were blessed to know him as a friend, a husband, a son, and a public servant. His absence now leaves a void that could never be filled,” the department said in a Saturday news release.
The suspect, identified by the GBI as 23-year-old Edward Espinoza, was arrested soon after the deadly incident.
The shooting happened in the parking lot in the 1400 block of Market Boulevard off Holcomb Bridge Road. Officers responded to the area around 7 p.m. after a 911 call, police Chief James Conroy told reporters Friday evening at the scene.
Responding officers initially encountered Espinoza behind the shopping center, and he “almost immediately produced a handgun,” Conroy said. Espinoza is then accused of shooting Labonte multiple times.
First responders attempted to render aid to the officer, who was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.
Conroy said other officers were able to locate the suspect nearby. Espinoza was booked into the Fulton County Jail on Saturday and is facing charges of murder, aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer and possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony.
“More information will be released in the coming days, but our priority now is to surround and support the family of our fallen officer and grieving department. We ask that your hearts and your prayers stand with us in doing the same,” the police department wrote in a social media post.
Labonte joined the department in November 2021 and was a member of the nightshift patrol. City Mayor Kurt Wilson said during a Saturday news conference that Labonte served “with honor, integrity and an unshakable sense of duty.”
A memorial vehicle is now outside the department’s headquarters on Hill Street, where the public is invited to pay their respects and leave tributes in Labonte’s honor. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
“Officer Jeremy Labonte gave his life in service to this city, the city of Roswell, Georgia. And we will never forget his dedication, his bravery and his ultimate sacrifice,” Wilson said.
The Roswell Police Department has previously only lost one officer in the line of duty, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, which tracks law enforcement deaths. On June 14, 1986 , Officer Leslie G. Warden was killed when he was struck by a drunken driver while assisting at a crash scene on I-285 .
The officer killed Friday was the first from Georgia to be killed in the line of duty this year. In 2024, six Georgia officers died on the job.
Across the U.S., seven other officers have been killed this year, including one earlier this week, according to the ODMP. On Tuesday, Officer Jason Roscow with the North Las Vegas Police Department died after being shot multiple times, according to investigators. Roscow had served with the department for 17 years.
After Friday’s fatal shooting, numerous heartfelt messages poured in from elected officials and police departments across Georgia .
Gov. Brian Kemp, in a post on X, said he, Marty Kemp and their children would be praying for the officer’s friends and family.
“We join them, his fellow Roswell PD, and all law enforcement in mourning this sudden and heartbreaking loss, and we ask all Georgians to join us in keeping them in your thoughts and prayers,” Kemp wrote. “May this courageous man’s memory inspire all of us in the days, weeks, and years ahead.”
The GBI will investigate Friday’s shooting.
— Staff writer Alexis Stevens contributed to this article.
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