Thousands of people attended the memorial service for a Georgia police officer, who was shot dead by an armed carjacker, on Sunday.

According to the Athens Banner-Herald paper, the funeral was attended by nearly 2,500 people, which include law enforcement officers from Georgia and different parts of the country.

Country Officer Elmer “Buddy” Christian was killed during the latest police shootout in Athens on Tuesday afternoon. A days-long manhunt was instigated for the suspect who then surrendered on live telecast.

The suspect, Jamie Hood, 33, also injured Georgia Police Officer Tony Howard during the incident. The second officer was seriously wounded after he was shot in the face and upper body. Reports say he is currently recovering from his injuries.

On Saturday, several armed personnel surrounded a house where Hood held four hostages. Hood surrendered to police and freed his hostages unharmed. The negotiations took a total of 7 hours before the suspect surrendered.

Sources said Hood was worried about his safety after his brother was shot dead by a policeman in 2001 after he aimed a gun to the officer’s head.

Hundreds of police officers lined the streets as Christian’s body was carried by a horse-drawn hearse to Evergreen Memorial Park for burial. His wife, Melissa Christian, followed the carriage and was escorted by two police officers.

In addition to his wife, Christian, 34, is survived by his two children, Wyatt and Callie. Pastor Randy Crowe of Hull Baptist Church warned Christian’s relatives, friends, as well as co-workers to not let anger consume them. Christian was a member of the church.

Crow said becoming a police officer was Christian’s lifelong dream.