A Fulton County (Ga.) police officer ambushed by an intoxicated shooter in the dark and fog overnight and was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Another officer was shot at but the bullet destroyed the radio on the officer’s equipment belt.
The tragedy unfolded when responded to 911 calls about shots being fired by an allegedly intoxicated man inside a home near Fairburn.
The man left the home before officers arrived, and police began to look for the suspect in the dark and fog at about 12:30 a.m. Suddenly, officers came under fire and the one officer was struck in the back of the head.
He was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital in downtown Atlanta, where he was pronounced dead.
The officer’s name is being withheld pending notification of his closest relatives.
The Fulton County Police Department described the fatal shooting as “an ambush.”
According to Channel 2 Action News, the suspect in the police shooting was also injured and was taken to the same hospital. “He was alert, conscious and breathing as he was transported.”
The suspect has a history with area police with incidents involving alcohol, the television station reported.
Officers on the scene described the murder weapon as a “long gun.”