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Funeral held for Henry cop killed in hit-and-run

Officer Elgin Daniel, 53, was helping a driver who ran out of gas on North Henry Boulevard, near the Starlite skate center in Stockbridge, at about 6:40 p.m. Monday, police said.

DECATUR, Ga. — Hundreds of law enforcement officers from around Metro Atlanta gathered at a DeKalb County church to say farewell to an officer killed in the line of duty.

Henry County Police Officer Elgin Daniel died Monday night after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver while assisting a motorist stranded along Highway 138 in Stockbridge.

Roadside Assistance worker John Cook was injured in the crash. Police later arrested Rueben Marin-Garibay and charged him with the crime.

Daniel served with Henry County for two years. Before that, he served 26 years with DeKalb Police, retiring as a lieutenant.

"He always encouraged me," said former DeKalb Police Officer Tiffany Castillo. Daniel was one of her first supervisors. "He always encouraged us to do that right thing. Just a very, very good man."

Hundreds of officers from all around Metro Atlanta gathered at the Greater Travelers' Rest Baptist Church on Flat Shoals Parkway for the funeral.

"It's very difficult," said DeKalb Police Chaplain Phyllis Allen. "It's always difficult when you lose someone you've worked with. They're like your brother or your sister that you work with every day."

Daniel was the third Metro Atlanta officer to die in the line of duty in two weeks. Atlanta Police Officers Richard Hallford and Shawn Smiley died last week when their helicopter crashed while searching for a missing boy.

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WSBTV

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