Atlanta police officer dies unexpectedly over weekend

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Police Department is mourning the loss of one of their own.

APD announced Tuesday evening that Officer Jamaine Chester was found dead inside his home over the weekend.

The department said the circumstances around his death have not been confirmed yet, but no foul play is suspected.

“Our hearts are broken. The (public affairs unit) team, his Zone 5 co-workers (where he spent many years), and all who knew him, are struggling to manage the emotions of such a sudden loss. We just saw him Friday evening in the office, our last words were, ‘have a safe weekend, see you Monday,’” the department said in a post on Facebook.

Chester was a familiar name to much of the Atlanta media, serving as a public information officer for the department, keeping all the news agencies up-to-date with breaking news throughout his shift.

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“Chester was thoughtful, genuine, and kind. He would come into the office with bags of snacks for sharing. He smiled broadly as he poured chocolate bars and other sweets into the candy jar on the conference table and added other snacks like Lay’s chips and Gatorade drinks in the open space for all of us to enjoy,” APD said in it’s FB post. “We will no longer have the joy of seeing him burst through the PAU door at 2:50 p.m. each day filled with light and energy. We won’t see his bright smile as he stops by our office door each afternoon to say, ‘hello there, I am here!’ We won’t get to hear his voice as he says, ‘I am so happy to be here with all of you.’ That reality makes our hearts hurt.”

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Chester’s family and friends, as well as his work family at the Atlanta Police Department.

As APD said in their post about Chester: “Rest well, Officer Chester. Job well-done sir.”

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