Georgia Officer Dies During Funeral Escort

Dec. 13, 2015

MARTA Police Officer Jesse Tarplin was escorting a funeral procession when he collided with a vehicle that was stopped for the procession Saturday.

Source The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

FULTON COUNTY, Georgia -- An off-duty MARTA police officer and former Georgia Tech football standout died Saturday after a motorcycle crash outside a Fulton County funeral home, officials said.

Jesse Tarplin, 38, was an 11-year veteran of the MARTA police force. Fulton County police Lt. Scott McBride said Tarplin was escorting a funeral procession from the Murray Brothers Funeral Home — on Utoy Springs Road near Cascade Road — when he collided with a vehicle that was stopped for the procession.

“We’re not sure why,” McBride said.

The crash happened around 12:45 p.m. and Tarplin was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he later died.

Tarplin was a graduate of Cross Keys High School and played football for Georgia Tech from 1995-98. He started at defensive end for two years and earned second-team All-ACC honors as a senior, according to the Georgia Tech website.

Tarplin was off-duty and on his personal motorcycle during the crash, McBride said. No charges are expected to be filed against the driver of the other vehicle, he said.

Tribune News Service