Last Friday, I was sitting at my computer working, and I got irritated about something, so I decided to take a break and walk outside. My dad, who lives with me, was out there, and I figured I'd talk to him about it and get some fresh air. I live on a somewhat rural, out-of-the-way road, where we really don't see much traffic, but cars were flying by at a rapid pace, and eventually they started backing up in a line in front of my house.
The next day, I learned what caused this. There'd been an officer-involved shooting on a nearby interstate, and all lanes were shut down, so people going in and out of Atlanta were trying to find an alternate route. A man and his wife had gotten into an argument at home. It sounds like she and another individual left in her car, and her husband followed her. As they drove along, he chased her, trying to run her off the road or bump into her car.
Some witnesses thought it was just road rage or people showing off, but when officers finally managed to stop both vehicles, the man got out of his with a handgun and began walking toward his wife and another officer. Two police officers fired at him, striking him multiple times. The man died on the scene. The two officers are currently on routine paid administrative leave.
While it's tragic that he lost his life, it's not the only thing that was lost that day.
Video of the two officers involved went somewhat viral on social media. In the aftermath, they walked to the side of the road, obviously emotionally overwhelmed. One dropped to his knees. They comforted each other. Their colleagues rushed over to support them. I can't tell you how many times I've watched this video, and I get emotional every single time. Please take a minute to view it:
52yo Jorge Narvaez fatally shot by Villa Rica police on I-20 GA after chasing wife & another man in road rage pursuit. Exited car armed, approached officer & wife's vehicle. Died at scene. GBI investigating pic.twitter.com/dGzE1Bm6Et
— ɴᴏʀᴛʜ ᴇᴀꜱᴛ ᴡᴇꜱᴛ ꜱᴏᴜᴛʜ (@dailyxdigest) February 16, 2026
Those men didn't wake up that morning and think they were going to kill a guy. Most officers never have to use their guns. My research suggests that only 25 to 30% of law enforcement officers ever fire their weapons throughout their entire careers. The 30% is for cities with a population of over 400,000 people. This particular city, where these officers are from, has about 21,500, and it's actually situated in such a place on the map that it's covered by multiple law enforcement agencies, so the odds are much, much lower.
While the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is still looking into the situation, everyone involved, everyone who saw it happen, says it was justified. This man seemed determined to kill his wife, possibly the person she was with, and only God knows who else in the area. These men saved lives that day, but it came with the toll of knowing that they took another, and I have no doubt that this is something that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
In these situations, the media rushes to cover the victim or turn it into a systemic issue with law enforcement. We've seen a lot of that lately. But there is never any follow-up on the officers' mental health and very little public concern for their well-being.
In our culture, we often see police officers treated as either stoic heroes who aren't rattled by anything or villains who are just out to assert their authority. But the reality is that behind every badge, there's a man or woman who often makes great sacrifices for their communities that come with enormous personal tolls.
I've seen it firsthand. For a very brief moment in time, I worked in law enforcement myself. I was not out on the streets, but I saw the men and women who were every day. I saw them use restraint when a man beat his wife to a bloody pulp. I saw them choke back tears when an infant was abused to the point that she would not survive. I saw them deal with some of the worst of the worst in my city as professionally as a fellow human possibly can.
It's why up to 19% of law enforcement officers experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), compared to just about 3.5% of the rest of the population. It's why public safety officers are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty. They run toward the bad stuff, so the rest of us don't have to.
Yes, I know some of you will say police officers are trained for these moments. This is their job. It is. That's exactly why those two men saved, potentially, multiple lives that day. They were prepared to use their weapons to do so, but that doesn't make it any easier. A surgeon is trained to cut people open and not wince, but it still hurts when a patient dies on their table. A soldier is trained for combat, but combat still causes trauma.
Last Friday, the scene was eventually cleaned up. The traffic eventually cleared, and everyone made it home. By Saturday, the community was back to normal, aside from maybe a little gossip around town about what happened. But for those two officers, it wasn't so easy. Their new normal will likely look different for a while, if not forever. That's something for which we should all have some respect.
