It’s been a tough month for law enforcement in metro Atlanta.
And on Thursday evening, authorities once again gathered at a hospital after a Fulton County deputy was shot in the line of duty.
The deputy’s right leg was injured, and he was scheduled for surgery Friday, according to the sheriff’s office. Sheriff Pat Labat described him as “a really good deputy,” but had not publicly identified him as of Friday afternoon.
The incident occurred near 157 Forsyth St. at around 5:45 p.m. The area is near the Garnett MARTA station and a short walk from Atlanta City Hall.
The deputy was responding to help another law enforcement officer when he was shot, Labat said during a Thursday night news conference. The Atlanta Police Department, which will lead the investigation, said the deputy was “struck by gunfire from a moving vehicle and that the suspect(s) fled from the scene immediately following the incident.”
On Friday, Atlanta police said they were still investigating and did not immediately provide an update on the search for the shooter.
Labat said the deputy has been working for the sheriff’s office for about four years. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital after the incident.
It was the second shooting Thursday involving a law enforcement officer in Fulton.
A man was shot and killed outside a restaurant in the 3600 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in southwest Atlanta by Fulton officers. Police said the man, suspected of loitering, ran from officers and got into a vehicle. Officers told him to put his hands up, but he “began reaching down and produced a handgun, prompting our officers to discharge their firearms,” authorities said.
Just a week ago, authorities from across North Georgia gathered at Grady Hospital over a four-day period to show their support after one officer was killed and three others were shot.
The South Fulton Police Department, which formed in 2018, lost its first officer in the line of duty April 15 when Lt. Helio Garcia was killed in a head-on collision.
Two days later, Paulding County Deputy Brice Mattick was responding to a home for a wellness check when he was shot in the shoulder by 22-year-old Jameel Johnson, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies returned fire, killing Johnson.
On April 18, two more officers — South Fulton Lt. Charles Cook and Fulton County Officer Zahir Muid — were shot during an encounter that began on Fulton Industrial Boulevard. Investigators said Rashan Jarvis Cofield, who had an outstanding warrant, pulled out a handgun. Cook was struck at least three times and Muid returned fire.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
