A suspect has been arrested in connection with the armed robbery and shooting of an off-duty police officer in Stone Mountain, DeKalb police said Tuesday.
Officer Landers Burton, 32, was shot in the buttocks shortly before midnight Monday at the Landmark at Mountain View complex on Green Bark Circle West, according to DeKalb police Lt. L.A. Ruffin.
The suspect in custody is a 21-year-old man who was earlier identified as a person of interest, DeKalb police spokesman Mekka Parish said. His name and photo are not being released by authorities until additional eyewitness lineups are finished, Parish said. He faces charges of armed robbery and aggravated assault against a police officer.
Ruffin described the incident as an "armed robbery that elevated to a shooting when the victim tried to defend himself."
He said police were looking for two men who fled in a dark-colored vehicle, possibly a Toyota Camry, after stealing the officer's wallet.
The second suspect has not been identified, and the investigation is continuing.
Burton, who has been with the department for three years, was taken to Atlanta Medical Center, where he underwent surgery early Tuesday. He was in critical but stable condition.
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