North Gwinnett News

Family and friends recently gathered to remember and pay tribute to fallen Gwinnett County Senior Corrections Officer Scott Riner, according to a report by FOX 5 Atlanta.

In a celebration of life for 59-year-old Riner, who was murdered outside Gwinnett County Jail, Senior Pastor Dr. Frank Cox described the fallen officer as one who filled his days with meaning.

"My prayers really go out to his family. I want his family to know that he was our family as well, and we are going to get through this together,"  Capt. Audrey Henderson, who worked with Riner, told FOX 5 Atlanta.

Police have charged 22-year-old Yahya Abdulkadir with felony murder and aggravated assault. He is accused of shooting Riner after some sort of altercation at the Gwinnett County Jail earlier this month. Although he fled, surveillance video showed Abdulkadir was on the scene of the shooting and he has since been apprehended, according to the report.

Following the service on Dec. 20 at North Metro Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, a police processional was slated to transport Riner to the West View Cemetery in Monticello, Georgia. Officials invited residents to line the route as a way of paying tribute and honoring the fallen officer.

According to the report, Riner saw his job as opportunity to help people, and inmates have been reaching out to the family since his passing to share how he has impacted their lives. An employee at the correctional facility for approximately a decade, Riner is remembered as a devoted husband to his wife of 22 years, father and grandfather who was respected by his many colleagues and the inmates he stood guard over, the report said.