Stanley Lawrence, who helped lead the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball program to its first NCAA Division I tournament win, was shot and killed Wednesday morning at home in the Atlanta suburb of Riverdale, Atlanta police said.
Lawrence's wife, 48-year-old Tammare Lawrence, faces felony murder and aggravated assault charges in his death. Her bond was denied during a first appearance Thursday, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The 58-year-old Lawrence, who had worked for the Atlanta police since 1990, had been working most recently with the department's Police Athletic League.
"We are stunned by this terrible news," Chief Erika Shields said Wednesday in a released statement. "Stanley Lawrence was a respected officer who was beloved by his colleagues and the children of our Police Athletic League, where he worked every day to mentor and positively impact their lives. We are deeply saddened and will miss him terribly. We are doing everything we can to support his family and colleagues as we all grieve this tragic loss."
Lawrence earned four letters with the Mocs from 1980 to 1983, and his 134 career blocked shots still rank second all-time at UTC. The Mocs made the NCAA tournament each of his final three seasons, and during his junior year UTC was seeded 10th when it broke through with a 58-51 win against seventh-seeded North Carolina State before losing 62-61 to No. 2 seed Minnesota in the second round.
Lawrence, who came to the Mocs from Jesup in southeastern Georgia, was listed at 6-foot-8 and 210 pounds on the roster for his senior season. He didn't quit playing basketball in the police league until three years ago at age 55.
"I just rebounded and played defense," Lawrence said during a 2018 interview with the Times Free Press. "I'd leave the scoring to other guys, just like when I played here."
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @TFPWeeds.