Savannah officer was killed in the line of duty. The public is invited to honor him

Funeral services are Saturday for the Savannah police officer killed when his patrol car was hit by an 18-wheeler at the scene of a separate accident.

Members of the public who would like to show support for the Savannah Police Department and the Christie family may line the processional route about 3:15 p.m., city officials said in a news release.

Patrol officer Anthony Christie, 37, was directing traffic after a head-on collision on I-16 near Dean Forest Road about 3:30 a.m. May 25 when a truck struck his patrol car.

Christie was a Berkeley, California, native who served 13 years in the U.S. Navy and had been a reservist, according to his obituary, which also noted his calming presence and devotion to his job with the police department.

He joined the department December 2015 and was officially sworn in on May 19, 2016, his obituary said.

Christie is survived by his wife, Nicole Weldon Christie; his parents, Kathy and Tony Christie; and his sister, Alice Christie.

Visitation will be Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to noon and 4 to 7 p.m. at Fox and Weeks Hodgson Chapel at 7200 Hodgson Memorial Drive in Savannah, according to a news release from the police department. Visitation is open to the public.

Viewing will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. with a celebration of life at 2 p.m. Saturday at Compassion Christian Church, 55 Al Henderson Blvd. in Savannah.

Following the service, which is expected to last about an hour, a motorcade is expected to leave the church and head back to the Fox and Weeks Hodgson Chapel.

City officials said drivers should expect road closures along the motorcade route beginning before the funeral on Saturday and lasting into the late afternoon.

Leaving the church, the motorcade is expected to travel east on Little Neck Road, turn right on Ogeechee Road and take the eastbound on-ramp to Highway 204/Abercorn Street. Vehicles will continue to Montgomery Crossroads, where it will turn right and travel to Hodgson Memorial Drive.

Christie's flag-draped casket will be transferred to a horse-drawn caisson at 7375 Hodgson Memorial Drive, and military and law enforcement honors will be rendered, his obituary said.

Hodgson Memorial Drive is expected to be blocked between Mall Boulevard and Eisenhouser Drive.

This story was originally published May 30, 2018 at 11:14 AM with the headline "Savannah officer was killed in the line of duty. The public is invited to honor him."