On a late summer evening in Marietta, Georgia, the lives of many were irrevocably altered by a sudden act of violence. It was September 8, 2022, when 38-year-old Cobb County Sheriff's Deputy Marshall Samual Ervin Jr. was shot and killed in the line of duty. A ten-year veteran of the sheriff's office, he was a devoted husband and a father to two daughters.
That evening, Deputy Ervin and his partner, Deputy Jonathan Koleski, were attempting to serve a felony theft warrant at a residence on
Hampton Glen Court. As they were taking a man named Christopher Cook into custody in the driveway, another individual inside the home, Christopher Golden, confronted them with a firearm. The deputies gave clear commands for Golden to drop his weapon, but he did not comply. An exchange of gunfire ensued, and both Deputy Ervin and Deputy Koleski were fatally wounded.
Following the shooting, a standoff took place as Cook and Golden barricaded themselves inside the house. Law enforcement officers surrounded the home, and after a period of time, both men surrendered and were taken into custody.
Christopher Golden was subsequently charged with two counts of felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer. In December 2022, he pleaded guilty to the murder charges and was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison. Christopher Cook, the individual who was the subject of the original warrant, faced charges related to theft. The community mourned the loss of the two deputies, who were remembered as dedicated officers and family men.
