In the late evening hours of February 8, 1981, a domestic disturbance call on Paper Mill Road in Austell, Georgia, set in motion a tragic chain of events that would end in the death of a young police officer. Gregory Player Mullinax, a 24-year-old male officer with the Austell Police Department, was one of the officers who responded to the scene. Having only been with the department for four months, the incident would be his last.
Upon arrival, Officer Mullinax and his partner encountered a volatile situation with a number of people involved in a street fight. Accounts of what transpired next vary slightly, but the outcome was the same. As Officer Mullinax was attempting to de-escalate the situation and had seemingly calmed the initial couple involved, he was attacked by the woman's son. While struggling to subdue the son, a man named Floyd Hill approached and opened fire on the officer. Another account suggests Hill arrived in a car, got out, and began shooting. Officer Mullinax was struck multiple times, including in the head and chest. He was rushed to a local hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
A second person, 20-year-old David Toles, was also shot and killed during the chaotic exchange of gunfire. A search of the area led to the arrest of Floyd Hill, who was found wounded in nearby woods by a Georgia State Trooper. Weapons were also recovered at the scene.
Floyd Hill was subsequently charged with the murder of Officer Gregory Mullinax. Following a trial, he was convicted and sentenced to death for his crime. However, on appeal, the sentence was later reduced to life in prison. In a final turn in the case, Floyd Hill was eventually granted parole. Officer Mullinax was survived by his wife and young daughter.
