Rockdale County road renamed in honor of fallen deputy

A  Rockdale County road has been renamed in honor of a deputy killed in the line of duty.

Brian Lamar Mahaffey was shot and killed while attempted to serve a warrant for a rape suspect at a home in May 2010. He was the first Rockdale County deputy killed in the line of duty since 1917.

Mahaffey's young widow Diana and Sheriff Jeff Wiggington unveiled the memorial sign Thursday afternoon, marking "Brian Mahaffey Memorial Parkway," the new name of Sigman Road. Five others signs will be installed along the road in the next few weeks.

"It's quite an honor. Brian was a hero and will always be a hero," said Cindy Mahaffey, Brian's mother.  "The holidays are always hard. They are so hard. But today is a good day."

For more than a year, a memorial has stood in front of the sheriff's office in Conyers, but loved ones say the new honor means even more people will know about Deputy Mahaffey's service and sacrifice, including the daughter and son left behind.

"They were very young when this happened so when we get to drive past here and see his name, it will definitely light up the faces of my children," said Diana Mahaffey, Brian's widow.

Authorities say that on May 8, 2010, a wanted man hid in a closet and opened fire when Deputy Mahaffey opened the closet door. The gunman was killed when the other deputies returned fire. Mahaffey died that day. He had just turned 28 the day before. He left behind a wife and two small children.

Protection Services Inc., a private company in Conyers, donated the signs, including the cost of installing them.