The community is coming together for the family of Christian Chestnut, a 37-year-old man who was tragically killed in a murder-suicide on Rainbow Drive in DeKalb County. As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, Chestnut was shot by Michael Durieux, a reserve sergeant with the Fort Valley Police Department, on June 7. Durieux was later found dead, with police indicating he died from a self-inflicted gunshot. In an outpouring of support, friends and family have begun a series of efforts to ensure the future wellbeing of Chestnut's 11-year-old daughter, Sarynity.
Struggling to cope with the loss, Chestnut's mother, Billie Gill-Chestnut, described the grief of losing a child as "the most horrific thing that a parent can go through." Having a pageant in the past, she recalled her son's loving words during a Mother's Day program which now echo with poignant finality. With Gill-Chestnut worrying about the upcoming birthday of Sarynity, stating "I don't want her to feel sad, and I want her to find some joy in her birthday, if she can. But, I don't know," said Gill-Chestnut in a statement obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta.
Christian Chestnut, who was exceptionally loved by his friends and colleagues, also left a mark professionally as a Responsive Support Technician at the IT firm Kinetix. Co-worker Victor Erazo and others initiated a GoFundMe to honor Chestnut's memory and support his daughter's future, a sentiment echoed by another friend and colleague, Tyler Long. "Chris constantly expressed how much he loved working at Kinetix, took immense pride in his work, and proved to be one of our client’s favorite technicians to work with,” Long wrote, as recounted in a WSB-TV report. The GoFundMe campaign to support Chestnut’s daughter has already raised more than $5,000. Donations can still be made as the community demonstrates its resilience in the face of tragedy.
