Georgia officer fatally shot in Eastman as suspect on loose
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ATLANTA (AP) — A police officer in a small, central Georgia city has been shot and killed by a suspect who was caught in Florida Monday morning, authorities said.
Eastman Patrol Officer Tim Smith was fatally shot about Aug. 13 in a residential area of the city located about 60 miles southeast of Macon, Georgia Bureau of Investigations spokesman Scott Dutton said.
Smith, 31, was responding to a suspicious person call when he encountered Royheem Delshawn Deeds, exited his patrol car and was shot, Dutton said.
Dutton said Deeds, 24, then fled the scene. He is being sought by police.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigations said in a news release Sunday offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to Deeds’ whereabouts.
Deeds later was arrested by police in Florida, found hiding in the truck of his sister’s car.
Smith was not wearing a body camera.
Smith had been with the Eastman Police Department since 2011. He is survived by three children.
Smith’s death came just hours before two 15year-old suspects were arrested after exchanging gunfire with officers in the suburban Atlanta city of Marietta.
Officer Scott Davis was shot in the leg early Sunday, Marietta police spokeswoman Kelah Wallace said. Davis, a 10-year veteran, was taken to the hospital with nonlife threatening injuries and is recovering after surgery.
The shooting occurred outside the Gallery Apartments when three officers responded to a call about people breaking into cars, Wallace said.
The officers approached two suspects who were inside a vehicle, Wallace said. One of the suspects from the vehicle started shooting at the officers, striking one of them.
Three officers returned fire, hitting one of the suspects. Both suspects were eventually arrested, Wallace said. The wounded suspect was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
Davis and the two other officers will be placed on administrative leave as per policy standards.