Clayton County police have identified the couple whose argument Monday at a Stockbridge Motel 6 escalated into a shootout that left a rookie cop dead.
Sean Callahan, 24, and another officer arrived at the motel off Davidson Parkway near Ga. 138 after police were notified of a domestic dispute in progress. As they attempted to arrest the couple, Tremaine Lynn Lebis, 42, broke free, assisted by his wife, Lisa Lebis, who, according to Clayton police spokesman Lt. Chris Windley, kicked one of the officers.
Tremaine Lebis, who had spent most of his adult years in prison, scampered behind the motel and began firing at the officers, hitting Callahan twice in the head, Windley said. A shootout ensued that left Tremaine Lebis dead at the scene.
Callahan, who joined the department just four months ago, was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital. He died early Tuesday morning following emergency surgery.
Late Tuesday morning, Lisa Lebis, sporting a black eye, appeared in court on obstruction of justice and battery charges. The 41-year-old Stockbridge woman said she was five months pregnant, suffered from seizures and was diabetic, but her request for bond was nonetheless denied.
Her husband was released from Telfair State Prison just seven months ago, where he was serving time for a parole violation, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections. Lebis had previously served 15 years on an aggravated assault charge.
Meanwhile, Clayton police are dealing with the loss of an officer who, Chief Gregory Porter said, showed considerable promise.
“Devastated, its very devastating,” Porter said during an impromptu press conference Monday night outside of Grady. “You never want to hear what I heard today.”
The chief described the rookie cop as “very energetic, a professional officer. Supervisors in the department speak highly of his performance.”
Just last week, another Clayton police officer was seriously injured after he was run over by a truck driven by a suspected burglar with an extensive criminal record. Michael Hooks, an 11-year veteran, sustained a serious head injury but is expected to recover.
The suspect in that case, Thomas Areeco Paige, 36, of Hampton, remains at large.
Callahan was the fifth metro Atlanta officer killed in the line of duty this year.
In January, Atlanta Officer Gail Thomas died when she was struck by an allegedly drunk driver after stopping to help a driver whose car had broken down on the Brookwood Interchange ramp from I-75 southbound to I-85 northbound.
November was a particularly deadly month, with three metro officers dying.
On Nov. 3, Atlanta officers Richard J. Halford and Shawn A. Smiley were killed when an APD helicopter crashed near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. and Hamilton E. Holmes drives, and on Nov. 12, Henry County Officer Elgin L. Daniel was struck by a hit-and-run driver while assisting a motorist who had run out of gas on North Henry Boulevard in Stockbridge.
— Staff writers Mike Morris and Alexis Stevens contributed to this report.
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