PEACH COUNTY, Ga. — The Crisp County Sheriff's office says they felt an outpouring of love and support this week after the death of Deputy Tyee Browne.
He's the officer shot and killed early Wednesday on a Crisp County Highway.
Sheriff Billy Hancock sat down with 13WMAZ to share how his office and the Cordele community is coping after his death.
“So, we are a family and we're just like any other family. We've had a member of our family tragically taken from us and we're gonna figure out how to deal with it. We're gonna keep serving the people of this community and we're going to be the best we can be given the circumstances we've been dealt,” Hancock says.
Several law enforcement agencies have gathered in Cordele to mourn Deputy Browne.
13WMAZ’s Jessica Cha spoke to another sheriff who knows all too well the pain of losing one of their own.
When he heard that Deputy Tyee Browne was killed, Peach County Sheriff Terry Deese knew he had to go to Crisp County.
“Kind of hard to explain how connected law enforcement is,” he says. “I mean, it's family. I didn't know him, but he's family."
Deese says after a deep loss like this, officers need the support of the community.
“I didn't understand it till November 6th, 2016 when we had our tragedy,” Deese says.
On that Sunday afternoon, Peach Sgt. Patrick Sondron and Deputy Daryl Smallwood responded to a dispute between neighbors.
“We get that call that we have two deputies down,” Deese explained.
Ralph Elrod shot both Smallwood and Sondron, and continued to fire at other officers who came to the scene.
Deese says his world stopped.
It was the first time in Peach County history that two officers’ lives were lost that way.
“You know, all your senses shut down. It's just like losing a son,” he says. “It’s family. It was personal.”
Investigator Lyndon Prater worked with Patrick Sondron for over a decade and with Daryl Smallwood for most of a year.
“We miss them a whole lot. Irreplaceable,” Prater says. “He [Sondron] would be my ace and go-to guy when it came to getting to certain people. Smallwood was kind of like my backup of Daryl.”
They were both funny and dedicated to the job.
“Those guys were two of the best officers that we had,” Prater says.
Deese says folks from countless agencies visited them, and many more members of the community showed their support.
He says they received keepsakes that memorialized the two, like bears made out of Sondron and Smallwood’s uniforms, or two custom-made chairs with the officer’s names engraved on them.
“Even though they aren't there physically, the officer will always be with you,” Deese read off of a dedication written by the chair’s donor.
“There is no agency that can get through this tragedy without the support that we get,” said Deese.
Deese says he required his staff to speak to chaplains and get counseling, but knows that healing looks different for everyone.
“They have all the love and support in the world. They just have to survive it,” Deese says.
Prater says he knows how hard this time is, but there’s hope.
“Make sure they comfort the families and make sure they take care the best way they know how because it's painful. It's like losing your brother. It's a painful thing. They'll get through it. Time will heal it a little bit, but they'll think about it everyday, I promise you,” Prater says.
Deese says Crisp County Sheriff Billy Hancock was one of the first to visit him in 2016 after his deputies were killed.
He says he will attend Browne's funeral Monday and show his full support.
We also heard from Deputy Browne's mother.
"He was incredible. I am not ready to speak yet, but he loved our community. He was a Monroe County kid, from kindergarten to graduation from Mary Persons. He loved his soccer and then went into the military. He was so special. Please keep him in everyone's memory– Sunday and Monday will be hard," she said.