Both Deputy Marshall and Officer Desai died on Monday. You are being honored by people around the country, including a 13-year-old in Florida.
ATLANTA – Jackson County’s Deputy Lena Marshall and Henry County Police Officer Paramhans Desai died within hours on Monday. Since then, tributes have been pouring in every second in honor of both of them.
Both were shot on duty last week when responding to separate domestic calls. While two communities mourn, the whole nation comes together in a difficult time.
Many law enforcement agencies across the state ordered their flags to be hoisted half-staff to honor both of them. Both heroes are not only remembered in Georgia, but also honored by a teenager in Florida.
Zechariah Cartledge, 13, runs a mile for fallen first responders. Tuesday night he ran a mile for Deputy Marshall and another for Officer Desai.
“These two first responders would still be actively serving their community and still have children to go home to and many parents and family members,” he said.
Cartledge founded Running 4 Heroes in 2019 and has since grown into a nonprofit that accepts donations to help injured first responders.
“Although we cannot bring their first responder back to their families, we can help them heal and their memory of their first responder will stay forever,” he added.
He has run 1,040 miles since then, but he said It’s rare for him to run for two police officers who died in the same state on the same day.
“It’s definitely heartbreaking,” he said. “Aside from sometimes sadly a duo who sometimes lose their life on the same phone call, it’s usually very unusual. It only happened a few times.”
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For former Lawrenceville Police Officer Brent Moss, who then worked with Marshall, death within the Blue family affects him differently.
“I’ve been to more police funerals than I’d ever want to see. And then here we are, we are about to go to another. And it’s just unfortunate and it should never have happened, “Moss said.
Scott Holmes has served as a behavioral and mental health specialist with various law enforcement agencies.
“They become numb to the worries of the world because they are so busy fighting and they completely forget about themselves,” he said.
Holmes added that the demand for mental health professionals among first responders had increased during the pandemic.
“One thing about trauma, often people hold onto it. When a colleague dies from being shot, I see this: ‘I’m giving up, I don’t want to do this anymore. They don’t care.” us no more, ‘”he said.
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He suggested that law enforcement agencies seek help from the Department of Justice, through the National Institute of Corrections.
“Often times, they can provide technology-free technical support to any law enforcement agency, whether it’s prisons, law enforcement agencies, prisons, or whatever. It’s free education for them and they can get all the help they need, “suggested Holmes.
First responders can access additional resources here.
