x
Breaking News
More () »

Edgar Flores remembered by fellow DeKalb officers one year after tragic death

Officer Edgar Flores was shot and killed while pursuing a suspect on foot after a traffic stop in DeKalb's Candler-McAfee neighborhood.

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — One year after Edgar Isidro Flores was shot and killed in the line of duty, fellow officers with the DeKalb County Police Department stopped for a moment to show that his life and sacrifice haven't been forgotten.

Officer Flores was shot and killed on Dec. 13, 2018, just days shy of his 25th birthday. It was around 5 p.m. that day as Flores conducted a traffic stop on Candler Road that Flores approached the driver who quickly ran from the car into the parking lot of a Piggly Wiggly grocery store. Flores wasn't far behind following the suspect.

The officer died after the suspect pulled out a gun and opened fire on him and a member of the DeKalb K-9 unit, Indi.  The entire incident began as what police described as a "drive-out" tag violation.

RELATED: 'He's going to retire on his terms:' K-9 Indi cleared to go back to work

That night, 11Alive's SkyTracker helicopter flew over the scene in the Candler-McAfee neighborhood where dozens of police cars were parked near the scene - their blue lights on.

It wasn't until later that then-chief James Conroy would hold back tears delivering the somber news that one of his officers had lost his life.

Flores was engaged to be married. He had worked for the DeKalb County Police Department for a little over a year.

It was a sacrifice that wasn't lost on the community, which honored Flores's memory in many ways. It also wasn't lost on the officers who gathered on the one-year anniversary of his death to remember not how he left this world but the impact he had on it - and on them.

RELATED: Fallen DeKalb officer honored in funeral

Members of the county's south precinct gathered to celebrate his life and share memories of him and working the evening watch with him.  Members of Flores's family were also in attendance.

MORE HEADLINES

Sophie Speaks: How a Georgia mother allowed her boyfriend to impregnate her 10-year-old

Man tortured by gang members, skull 'depressed' in one the most brutal murders in Atlanta

'Evil personified' | 'Best friend' charged in missing college student's murder

Before You Leave, Check This Out