Lee Co. Church organizes balloon release in honor of a School Resource Officer
LEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A Lee County church honors the memory of a School Resource Officer killed in the line of duty earlier this week, directing traffic at Shannon Elementary.
Johnson Chapel Missionary Baptist Church organized a balloon release to honor the life of Deputy Rick Haggard. Students at Shannon Elementary, where Deputy Haggard was assigned, released blue balloons to pay tribute to Haggard, whose birthday was today.
Haggard was struck and killed by a vehicle as he was starting his traffic duty as school dismissed on Monday.
Haggard, who leaves behind a wife and two children, was remembered as an officer who went out of his way to greet and make friends with students at Shannon Elementary.
“It is a community effort to honor the life of Deputy Rick. The students have been coloring pictures in honor of him. Today is his birthday, and his wife and children are here for the balloon release to help children heal during a hard time. Psalm 23 reminds us that God walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death, and we should fear no evil, and God is closer with us in death than anything else,” said Johnson Chapel MBC’s Pastor Dr. Jeffery Gladney.
Services for Deputy Haggard are set for 2 pm on Friday at West Jackson Street Baptist Church in Tupelo. A GoFundMe has also been set up to assist Deputy Haggard’s family.
