Stephanie Hall has taught at King’s Way Christian School for nearly 30 years, long enough to remember a beaming Jeremy Labonte effortlessly cartwheeling from one end of the gymnasium to the other without stopping.
The kindergartner was pint-sized, still decades away from becoming an officer assigned to protect the Roswell community. But that bright smile and drive would never leave him, according to his teachers.
“The joy on his face when he finished was unforgettable — he was so proud of himself,” Hall said. “As he grew, I watched him become a dedicated football player, a loyal friend and a caring son.”
Many of Labonte’s teachers will gather this week to honor the fallen Roswell police officer, who was killed in the line of duty Friday evening. The 24-year-old was responding to a suspicious person call at a shopping complex when he was shot multiple times.
A public visitation will be held from 3-6 p.m. Tuesday at Roswell United Methodist Church, at 814 Mimosa Boulevard. His funeral will take place at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the same location and will be broadcast online. The procession route that day will travel from Lebanon Baptist Church to Roswell United Methodist. To pay their respects, the public is asked to stand along Crabapple Road, Canton Street, Atlanta Street or Mimosa Boulevard. A private funeral will be held Thursday.
Labonte and his family earned a special place in the hearts of those at King’s Way Christian, the Douglasville school where his mother Brandi was a teacher and his wife Alyssa was also a student. Almost every day until graduation, Jeremy made sure to visit his mother’s classroom.
Decades later, he would return in a different capacity, this time in full police uniform during the 2022-23 school year as he worked to share that energy and work ethic with future generations.
“As an educator, you have the privilege of making an impact on your students — but every so often, there are students who leave a lasting impact on you,” said J.R. Nelson, Jeremy’s coach and teacher at King’s Way.
Credit: King's Way Christian School
Credit: King's Way Christian School
Wendy Finnell said she immediately recognized Jeremy’s caring nature as a student eager to learn inside her sixth grade classroom. Somehow, he was always in a good mood, she said. His smile was contagious for others.
Finnell knew the family for more than two decades. Having seen Jeremy and Alyssa grow up to become each other’s greatest loves made his loss “even more deeply felt,” Finnell said. According to his obituary, Jeremy and Alyssa met when they were just 11 years old and he “devoted his life to protecting and cherishing her.”
“The Labonte family holds a special place in my heart, and my heart aches for them and Alyssa,” Finnell added. “Jeremy will be profoundly missed by all who knew and loved him.”
Credit: King's Way Christian School
Credit: King's Way Christian School
Among Jeremy’s greatest attributes were his work ethic, deep love for his family and friends, and his “sincere desire to serve others,” said Nelson, who taught and coached him during his middle and high school years.
Jeremy was a three-time all-state running back at the Georgia Association of Private & Parochial Schools level and a team captain who earned several accolades in both football and basketball, according to Nelson. On the academic side, he maintained nearly a 4.0 GPA and took dual enrollment courses, his teachers said.
Credit: King's Way Christian School
Credit: King's Way Christian School
After high school, he graduated from Georgia State University in 2021 with a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice, the university confirmed. Elle Ballard, his teacher there for two semesters, said Jeremy was a “great student — always kind, always had a smile.”
Jeremy’s love to serve led the Austell native to join the Roswell Police Department that November and become a member of the night shift patrol. On Friday, he was investigating a report of a suspicious person around 7:15 p.m. in the parking lot near the ACE Pickleball Club on Market Boulevard off Holcomb Bridge Road.
There, he found Edward Espinoza, 23, and approached him for questioning, authorities said. Espinoza then “pulled a handgun and fired multiple shots at the officer,” according to the GBI, which is investigating the incident. Labonte was rushed to a hospital but later died.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Espinoza had his first court date Monday, the same day the Georgia House of Representatives held a moment of silence for Labonte.
Rep. Chuck Martin, R-Alpharetta, called the young man a hero and said his decision to join the police department was a continuation of “a lifetime of commitment to public service.“
”Over the years that followed, the officer faithfully and joyfully served the Roswell community as a member of the night shift patrol,” said Martin, whose voice cracked with emotion as he addressed his fellow lawmakers.
Added Martin: “He was universally beloved by all who were blessed to know him as a friend, a husband, a son and a public servant. His absence now leaves a void that can never be filled.”
Espinoza remains in jail without bond as he faces charges of murder, aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer and possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony.
He was previously arrested in April on a battery charge, online records show. Before that, in 2022, he was given probation and ordered to undergo anger management sessions after he allegedly broke items in a “fit of rage” inside an apartment on Raintree Drive in Roswell, according to his warrant. His sister told police after that incident that he had a history of outbursts and the family had been trying to get him a therapist, police said. A year earlier, Espinoza allegedly discharged a firearm in a public space at those same apartments, leading to community service, probation and orders to undergo mental health treatment and forfeit his weapon, according to another warrant and online records.
Labonte was the first law enforcement officer from Georgia to be killed in the line of duty this year. In 2024, six Georgia officers died on the job.
Only once before has Roswell police lost an officer in the line of duty, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, which tracks law enforcement deaths. On June 14, 1986, Leslie G. Warden was killed when he was struck by a drunken driver while assisting at a crash scene on I-285.
On Monday, a patrol cruiser remained parked outside Roswell police headquarters as a memorial and was quickly covered in flowers and other mementos. Among those was a green-and-black football that showcased Labonte’s gift for helping others.
“Officer Labonte, I have not cut class since we talked,” read the inscription, which was signed by Xavier in black magic marker.
It was yet another example that will define the officer’s legacy, which his former coach said will continue to inspire his “school community and beyond.”
Added Nelson, “Jeremy is, and always will be, one of my heroes.”
— Staff writer Alexis Stevens contributed to this article.
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