Police Officer Barry Dean Melear, Atlanta Police Department, Georgia

Police Officer Barry Dean Melear

Atlanta Police Department, Georgia

End of Watch Friday, September 23, 1977

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Barry Dean Melear

Police Officer Barry Melear was shot and killed as he and his partner were searching three suspects.

The officers had caught the men breaking into an automobile while working a special car theft detail. As they were searching them the last man pulled out a handgun and shot Officer Melear in the head.

Officer Melear was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War and had served with the Atlanta Police Department for seven years. He was survived by his daughter.

Bio

Age 29
Tour 7 years
Badge Not available
Military Veteran

Incident Details

Cause Gunfire
Weapon Handgun
Offender Not available

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A SONNET FOR BARRY

He was the first one in out troop
The first to leave from our group
A brother a father a lover and a friend
The first to meet an unjust end

The sorrows and joys of men and boys
And the love to them given
Like warm rain from heaven
Comes in the spring, leaves in the fall

But the sorrows of life pass like spring rain
With the passing of life to that mystic plain
And the joy of love, the peace of sleep
Elusive in life, though they may be

Takes our brother, our father, our lover and friend
And ushers him past our vision of end
And all of the joy but none of the sorrow
That all men have known and will know tomorrow

Will keep him safe in times warm hand
Till we can journey to his land

RR Ringo, 1977