CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — The Clayton County Police officer who tragically lost his life last week in a car accident was remembered during a Celebration of Life service Monday.
At just 22-years-old, Armando Mendoza, lived a short, but full life, his friends told 11Alive. He had been with the department for just about a year.
Before he was on the Clayton County police force, he had come to the department alongside his mother to cater an event. That's when, they said, he realized he wanted to become an officer.
His girlfriend, Gabrielle Knowles, previously said he was an ambitious man who didn't hold grudges. Mendoza was an "old soul" who appreciated Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.
"He taught me about true love, how a man should treat a woman," she said in a recent interview. "Him being 22 - I'm just so amazed at how mature he is, how mature we got together. It was just genuine love."
The Celebration of Life was held noon at the Light of Joy Church in Riverdale.