RIVERDALE, Ga. — The Atlanta Police Department is mourning one of its own.
Riverdale police say Stanley Lawrence, 58, was shot and killed by his wife, Tammare Lawrence, 49, at their home along Oak Valley Drive early this morning.
Police have charged Tammare Lawrence with felony murder and aggravated assault. She is in the Clayton County Jail.
A judge denied her bond during her first appearance Thursday morning.
Channel 2’s Steve Gehlbach talked to one of her husband’s commanders and friends.
One of the deputy chiefs has known Officer Stanley Lawrence for years and was his commander in the Atlanta Police Athletic League.
He says he touched the lives of many young people over the years, primarily through coaching.
"We have about 60 to 70 kids that show up there daily (for the) after school program. They lost a family member,” Terrell Griffin said.
He called the former basketball star a “giant of a man that would light up a room.”
Stanley Lawrence was shot in the shoulder and died in the living room of his Riverdale home early Wednesday morning.
During his wife’s first appearance in the courtroom, a judge read the charges that come with no bond and revealed some new information about the shooting including that the officer was on a couch, but not what led up to the shooting.
“Evidence suggests that you returned and shot Mr. Lawrence in the right shoulder with no exit wound. Stanley Lawrence succumbed to his wounds in the living room of his home,” the judge said.
Family members told Gehlbach his wife is innocent, adding the pair had not been married very long.
Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields released a statement saying:
“We are stunned by this terrible news. Stanley Lawrence was a respected officer who was beloved by his colleagues and the children of our Police Athletic League, where he worked every day to mentor and positively impact their lives. We are deeply saddened, and will miss him terribly. We are doing everything we can to support his family and colleagues as we all grieve this tragic loss.”
Lawrence began working for the department in December 1990. His most recent assignment was with the Police Athletic League.
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