Slain S.C. Deputy Learned He Was to Be 1st-Time Dad Days Before Ambush
By Lyn Riddle
Source The State
Last Sunday, Austin Aldridge learned he was going to be a dad for the first time.
This Sunday, he will be buried.
A Spartanburg County deputy, Aldridge, 25, was shot to death Tuesday responding to a domestic violence call. Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright in an emotional press conference earlier this week called it an ambush.
Duane Leslie Heard, 63, has been charged with murder.
Austin and Jessica Aldridge were described on a GoFundMe page as being nervously excited about becoming parents. They were married in 2019.
Both attended North Greenville University. Austin attended from the fall 2016 semester through the fall 2018 semester, pursuing a bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice, the university said in announcing flags would be lowered in his honor.
Jessica Link Aldridge graduated from NGU in 2018, the university said.
Austin’s friends described him as having the disposition of a golden retriever, “playful, funny, unwaveringly loyal, and downright goofy at times,” the GoFundMe page said. He enjoyed playing tabletop board games and watching “The Lord of the Rings” movies.
The page said he loved his job and “couldn’t imagine doing anything other than serving the community that he loved.”
His funeral will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday at The Church at the Mill, 4455 Anderson Mill Road, Moore, SC 29369 with burial will be in Westwood Memorial Gardens, 6101 Reidville Road, Moore, SC 29369, with The North Carolina Highway Patrol Honors Team and Caisson.
At midday Friday, the GoFundMe page had raised almost $130,000 of the $250,000 goal from almost 2,000 people, including one who anonymously gave $5,000.
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