While a federal agent recovers in an Athens hospital from wounds he suffered during an undercover operation, state and federal agents continued to investigate what led to him being shot and a suspect killed.
The wounded agent with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is expected to recover, according to ATF spokeswoman Regina Milledge. She said the agent was conscious and in serious but stable condition at Athens Regional Medical Center.
Milledge said the agency was withholding any details about the agent, including his years of service and where he was shot.
In the meanwhile, a second suspect was in the Clarke County Jail Wednesday awaiting charges connected to the late afternoon shooting behind a convenience store near a Winterville Road trailer park.
Officers from the Athens-Clarke County police were assisting ATF in an undercover operation when a "altercation ensued" between the agent and two Athens men.
One of the suspects shot first and the agent returned fire, officials said at a briefing with reporters Tuesday night.
Javonta Darden, 20, was killed. Steven McKinley, 21, was eventually arrested.
According to the Clarke County Jail website, McKinley is being held without bond on aggravated assault and murder charges but he is also expected to face federal charges.
The GBI Crime Lab conducted Darden’s autopsy, but the findings were not available.
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