Georgia Sheriff’s Office Mourns 2 Deputies Who Died Within 24 Hours of Each Other: ‘Rest Easy, Brothers’

A sheriff’s office in Georgia is grieving after two of its deputies died in separate incidents less than 24 hours from each other.

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Two deputies with a Georgia sheriff’s office died less than 24 hours of each other in separate tragedies

Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jailer Michael Davis died after a medical emergency, and Deputy Phillip Wasson later lost his life in a traffic collision

“Rest easy, brothers. Your service will not be forgotten,” the sheriff’s office said

A sheriff’s office in Georgia is grieving after two of its deputies died in separate incidents within less than 24 hours of each other.

In a Wednesday, Aug. 19, news release, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office identified the officers as Deputy Jailer Michael Davis and Deputy Phillip Wasson.

Davis unexpectedly died after a medical emergency on Tuesday, Aug. 18. He was with the sheriff’s office for 28 years and was assigned to D Shift at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center.

Wasson, who served with the sheriff’s office for 18 years and was assigned to the traffic division, died following a traffic collision on Wednesday morning, the sheriff’s office said.

The Richmond County Coroner’s Office said Wasson, who was from Augusta, was driving his vehicle westbound on Washington Road when another vehicle, operated by Heather Lanier, crossed the center lane and both vehicles collided, CBS affiliate WRDW reported.

The coroner said Wasson died at the scene. Lanier was taken to a hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

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The sheriff’s office described the loss of two of its colleagues as heartbreaking.

“Together, Deputy Davis and Deputy Wasson gave 46 years of service to this agency and the citizens of Richmond County,” their news release said. “But their service cannot be measured simply in years. They were deputies, coworkers, friends, and members of our Sheriff’s Office family. They were our Brothers.”

They continued, “Today [Aug. 19], there are two families grieving the loss of someone they loved, and there are coworkers throughout our agency grieving alongside them.”

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Funeral arrangements for the two deputies have not yet been disclosed. The sheriff’s office asked the pubic to keep the deputies’ families, friends and colleagues in their prayers.

“Rest easy, brothers. Your service will not be forgotten,” the news release concluded.

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