PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia father of three who vowed to serve his community gave his life rescuing several people over the weekend.
Anderson “Chase” Childers, 38, from Dallas was pulled from the ocean on Sunday in Pawley’s Island, S.C., the city’s police chief confirmed to WPDE.
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Police say Childers ran into the water to help five people who had been caught in a rip current. They say he rescued all five, but got caught in the rip current himself and died.
His family identified him as a former Cobb County police officer who had received a lifetime achievement award for saving lives. They say he also spent time playing professional baseball in the Baltimore Orioles system.
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“It feels surreal, incredibly hard to grasp, and profoundly unfair,” his family wrote online. “As a devoted husband and father, he displayed extraordinary courage and selflessness.”
Childers’ family says he will always be remembered as a hero.
“Chase Childers served as an officer with the Cobb Police Department for over three years. During his tenure, he proudly served the citizens of Cobb County as a uniformed patrol officer before pursuing another career path,” said Sgt. Eric Smith, Cobb County Police Department PIO.
The family set up a GoFundMe campaign to help support his wife and three children. Click here to donate.
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