CRISP COUNTY, Ga. — One year ago, Deputy Tyee Browne gave everything to his job, serving the Crisp County community with compassion, dedication and courage.
Many people echoed those sentiments Friday, at a ceremony honoring his life.
"Crisp 17, you're gone but you're never forgotten. Your legacy endures and we will continue to honor you in our hearts and our actions, and we will remember you each day we sit and take a seat," Sheriff Billy Hancock said during the ceremony.
Browne was shot and killed July 5, 2023, when he stopped to help a driver on the side of the road.
Friday brought out a big crowd in as they remembered Browne's legacy. Many held hands, and embraced with hugs, after a year of mourning.
"This is the first time that I ever lost a deputy that I felt like I was in charge of, So, you always ask yourself, 'Did I do the right thing? Did I have enough people working?' I continually try to answer those questions and make sure we learn from it," Hancock said.
He says this has been a hard year of firsts for him and his staff, but there was possibly a larger burden left with Browne's family.
"He was 26-years-old, but he was my baby. He will always be my baby," Kristina Browne Conley said.
She longs for little things like phone calls and sharing memes.
"I remember his little dimples. That boy had some dimples. I hear his laugh, and of course you know at my house everything reminds me of him," she shared.
Now she has memories in her heart, and even some that she can wear. However, she hopes the memories last beyond herself.
"That's what I'm afraid of, is that people will forget him and I don't want him to ever be forgotten," she said.
However, people in Crisp County say that won't be possible.
Conley has a big backing of community support. The Sheriff's Office presented her two memorial ornaments to help remember Browne during the holidays.
"Can't wait to see what my Christmas tree is going to look like this year. With all the black and blue, it's going to be a Tyee tree this year," she said.
Conley says Christmas was one of his favorite holidays, and he loved to decorate.
Friday, Browne was added to the memorial wall of fallen deputies at Crisp County's law enforcement center. It also includes names of deputies from neighboring counties too.
Browne is honored with a name plaque that sits under the monument.
With the community and deputy support over the last year, Crisp 17 rings through the town.
"I don't know if I could be standing here if it wasn't for them," Conley said.
There is another event to honor Browne on Monday. He is getting a highway memorial on Highway 280 where he was killed. There are three markers in total.
It starts at 10:00 a.m. in the parking lot of Rapids Warehousing on West Highway 280.
Browne is still leading a legacy of service in the county. His family now has a scholarship in his name. They plan to use it to give back to a Crisp County student and a county Junior Dog Handler.
Crisp County investigators say Croshawn Cross was driving a stolen vehicle the night he shot and killed Browne. Barely a month later, Cross pleaded guilty to more than a dozen charges including murder. He's now serving life without parole.