Flags lowered to half-staff in honor of fallen South Fulton officer

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Lt. Helio Garcia was killed in a head-on crash overnight. (South Fulton Police Department)

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - Flags across Georgia will be flown at half-staff on Monday to honor a fallen South Fulton police officer. 

Lt. Helio Armando Garcia III was killed while serving after a head-on crash along Flat Shoals Road last week. 

What we know:

Gov. Brian Kemp has ordered flags at the State Capitol and across Fulton County to be lowered to half-staff on Monday in honor of the officer killed in the line of duty.

What they're saying:

In an executive order issued Friday, Kemp called it "fitting and proper to recognize Lt. Garcia’s service to Fulton County and the State of Georgia" by lowering the flags as a mark of respect. Flags will remain at half-staff on Monday, April 21, the day of Garcia’s memorial service, until sunset.

The backstory:

Garcia, 47, was one of the original officers of the South Fulton Police Department, where he had served since its founding in 2018. He was one of two original officers from the department who died in the line of duty. Garcia leaves behind a wife and three children.

What's next:

The funeral service will take place at 1 p.m. on April 21 at World Changers Church, located at 2500 Burdett Road in South Fulton.

A viewing will be held before the service, between 10 a.m. and noon.

All law enforcement agencies and public safety partners are invited to attend and pay their respects.

A processional motorcade will deliver Capt. Garcia's body from a funeral home on Main Street in Woodstock to the church.

SEE ALSO: 

• Funeral arrangements announced for South Fulton officer killed in crash
• City of South Fulton honors police officer killed in head-on collision
• South Fulton police officer killed in head-on crash, other driver identified
• South Fulton officer critical, Fulton officer injured in deadly shootout