A Georgia police officer was killed and another injured in an incident in Clayton County on Tuesday night, in which authorities said a total of four people died, including the suspect.
The officer killed was identified as Field Training Officer Henry Laxson, the third Georgia police officer killed on duty last month and the eighth this year, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Clayton County Police were called to a house in Rex, about 20 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta, at around 8:40 pm in response to “multiple calls” about gunfire and domestic violence, Clayton County Police Chief Kevin Roberts told reporters in a Wednesday morning news conference around 2:30 p.m. ET.
When police arrived in the area, they were picked up by a 12-year-old boy who had been shot in the face, Roberts said. But before he was taken to a hospital, where he was listed in critical condition early Wednesday, the boy led police to an apartment where an armed man was, the chief said.
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The suspect immediately shot the officers with a handgun and sent the officers to escape while the suspect fled to the back of the residence, Roberts said. There he was confronted with other officers who approached the house from behind, he said.
Clayton County Field Training Officer Henry Laxson, center. (Clayton County Police Department)
Two officers were shot dead in the exchange of fire, one sustained fatal injuries and the other a hand injury, the chief said. When police returned fire, the suspect was hit and killed, the chief added.
“These men and women do an honorable job every day,” said the boss, “and it is a shame that we have to keep doing these reports. My heart aches for every police officer and his family who go through this. ” These things just shouldn’t happen. “
The police later found two dead women among “multiple victims” in the house, the boss said.
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Dozens of police officers were seen outside Grady Memorial Hospital after the shooting, Atlantas reported to WSB-TV, adding that there was no immediate information about the other injured or possible suspects.
WSB’s Ashli Lincoln posted a video from the area showing gunshots in the background.
The shooting occurred near the intersection of Macon Highway and Interstate 675, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
