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Roswell honors officer killed in line of duty with roadway dedication
Roswell officials are honoring the life of Officer Jeremy Labonte with a roadway dedication on Monday morning. Labonte was shot and killed in February while responding to reports of a suspicious person at a Roswell shopping center. The man accused of killing the 24-year-old officer remains in custody after pleading not guilty to all charges.
ROSWELL, Ga. - State leaders went big on the way they are honoring fallen Roswell Police Officer Jeremy Labonte.
One of the state’s busiest interchanges, Georgia 400 and Holcomb Bridge Road, now has a new name: Officer Jeremy Labonte Memorial Interchange.
What we know:
The family of fallen Roswell Police Officer Labonte took in one of the new signs that honors his life.
They gathered near the newly renamed interchange about an hour after its official dedication.
It has been slightly more than six months since he was shot and killed while responding to reports of a suspicious person.
It happened at a shopping center on Market Boulevard on February 7th.
Just weeks after Officer Labonte’s death, the state legislature approved the renaming.
What they're saying:
"It has been overwhelming, I feel both exhausted and just really grateful for the community and all my friends and family that continue to show up for me," said Officer Labonte’s widow Alyssa Labonte.
Alyssa is still dealing with the loss of her husband, but she says he deserves every honor.
"I could have never imagined back in February that he would have all these honors," she said. He's so deserving of them."
Local leaders were also on hand for Monday’s dedication.
"If we look at all the important stuff we do, safety has to be paramount because nothing else will matter if we don't do that right," said State Senator John Albers.
"This dedication is just one way for us to say Jeremy's name and service will live on," said Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson.
On Saturday, the city held a 5K in his honor a week after what would have been his 25th birthday.
For his present, his wife Alyssa got a tattoo that says ‘I love you more’ in his handwriting so she can always have him with her.
"He called me on his way into work, and that was the last thing that he said to me, and it was kind of always our thing to say to each other since we were in high school," she said. "If one of us said, I love you, we'd reply with, I love you more."
Dig deeper:
The suspect accused of killing Officer Labonte remains behind bars and has pleaded not guilty.
The Source: Information in this article came from FOX 5's Tyler Fingert speaking with Alyssa and past reporting by FOX 5.