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Yesterday, the Hampton community gathered to mark a grave anniversary, commemorating the lives tragically cut short in a mass shooting one year prior. Residents and loved ones came together in a service held at East Hampton Community Park to honor four victims whose lives were taken in violence that shook the foundations of an entire neighborhood. As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, the remembrance event aimed to pay respects to the slain individuals: Scott Leavitt, Shirley Leavitt, Steve Blizzard, and Ronald Jeffers.

Remembered for their heroic deeds, three police officers were also recognized last week for engaging the gunman, ultimately ending a 24-hour manhunt which put countless others at risk. During a ceremony at Hampton City Hall, overwhelmed with emotions, the community gathered to thank these officers for their service. According to Atlanta News First, the officers had been injured during the encounter with 40-year-old Andre Longmore, the man responsible for the devastating events.

The suspect, Andre Longroll, previously encountered the law enforcement in Clayton County, where gun fire was exchanged leading to his demise. The intense confrontation had left three officers seriously injured, illuminating the peril that law enforcement faces while in pursuit of enforcing peace. Families of the victims had the chance, some for the first time, to meet with the officers who faced the gunman who had taken so much from them.

Emotional narratives by the injured officers at the commemoration event painted a stark picture of the harrowing encounter. "Before you know it, I was shot and on a life flight to Grady," recounted Lt. Daniel Podsiadly in an interview with Atlanta News First. Walter Pounds, formerly of the Clayton County Police, described the terror of being shot: "He ran straight towards me, he fired a shot, got hit in the process, grazed my stomach." It's accounts like these, shared by Michael Ruppert, another Clayton County Police officer who recalled, "I see the gun pointed right at me, and we both fire at the same time," that brought home the reality of the confrontation.