Governor Kay Ivey has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff on Tuesday, on the day of interment, for Huntsville Police Officer Billy Fred Clardy, III. Clardy, a 14-year veteran of the department, was shot and killed in the line of duty on Friday.

A memo from Ivey to all state agencies calls the directive “a mark of respect” for the slain hero, who was also a U.S. Army veteran.

“Let us remember the life and service of Officer Clardy… We offer our heartfelt condolences and prayers to his wife and five children, the Huntsville Police Department and the city of Huntsville,” Ivey wrote.

Clardy also had previously served with the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office and the Fayetteville, Tennessee, Police Department.

This is the second tragic, line of duty loss for the Clardy family. Huntsville PD Officer Billy Fred Clardy, Jr. was killed May 3, 1978 in an on-duty car accident while traveling to meet another officer.

Clardy, III was the sixth Alabama law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty in 2019.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn