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GA. Mayor Walker commits suicide www.privateofficer.com
Bibb County coroner Leon Jones said Walker, 60, was pronounced dead at 1:49 p.m. at the Medical Center of Central Georgia.
Warner Robins police say they got a call around 11:09 a.m. from Walker’s home. He was taken to the Houston Medical Center, where doctors assessed his condition and agreed to send him to the Macon hospital’s trauma center due to the severity of his wounds.
Monday afternoon, crime-scene tape surrounded Walker’s home, located not far from city hall.
Walker was called “Warner Robins’ greatest cheerleader” Monday by the man who’ll replace him in the mayor’s office.
Mayor Pro-tem John Havrilla and several other city officials gathered at the hospital to discuss Walker’s death.
The group paid tribute to Walker and offered condolences to his family. Havrilla said the city came third in Walker’s life, after his family and his faith.
Havrilla is now the acting mayor, and he says a city council meeting has been called for Monday.
Walker was first elected in 1994 amid controversy. Incumbent mayor Ed Martin and a police chief admitted pressuring a drug informant to say, falsely, that Walker was involved in drug deals.
This year, Walker was seeking a fourth full term, but faced a challenge from three candidates in a November election.
Last year, Walker missed several months of work at the mayor’s office due to a foot injury. That came after the city council asked him to take a leave due to ongoing medical problems.
This year, Walker said his health was better and he was ready to serve another term.
His father, Homer Walker, was mayor from 1968 to 1972. The city’s civic center, where many city employees learned of the mayor’s death, is named for him. Donald Walker’s brother, Jay, is a longtime Houston County commissioner.
Coroner Jones said funeral arrangements have not been finalized.
U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall, D-Ga., released this statement: “We’re shocked by the news of Mayor Walker’s death. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. His exceptional legacy as mayor will be difficult to match. His is truly a life worth celebrating.”
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