GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — The funeral for a fallen Gwinnett County police officer is currently underway.
Officer Pradeep Tamang was shot last weekend while investigating a fraud complaint. Master police officer David Reed was also critically injured in the shooting.
Services for Tamang got underway around 10 a.m. on Saturday. Law enforcement officers from across north Georgia to pay their respects.
At a memorial this week for Tamang, people shared what they wrote in letters and left them on his patrol car.
“We’re grateful for his sacrifice, while and while we hurt, we don’t hurt the same way his family does,” said Lydia Griffin, who lives in Gwinnett County.
The shooting happened Sunday morning when Tamang and Reed were investigating a fraud complaint at this hotel near Stone Mountain.
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Police say that’s where Kevin Andrews pulled out a gun and shot the two officers. Tamang was killed and Reed was critically hurt. Reed underwent surgery to remove a bullet from his face.
Tamang was only 25 years old and was engaged to be married. He came to America from Nepal 10 years ago and had been with the department less than a year.
“Emotions are mixed. It goes back and forth between very sad, shocked and angry,” Cpl. Angela Carter with theGwinnett County Police Department said.
Carter said some fellow officers had to hear efforts to save them over the radio and watch it live-streamed through body cameras.
“There were a lot of people that watched a lot of this in real time. This is a hard situation. We’re handling it the best we can,” Carter said.
People who stopped to grieve this week say the positive update on the surviving officer provides some relief.
“My heart goes out to him, too, because he’s going to relive this every day,” Griffin said.
The celebration of life is underway at 12Stone Church in Lawrenceville.