Three officers were shot late Saturday afternoon after a struggle with a suspect wielding a handgun and knife in southwest Atlanta, authorities said.
The officers sustained what appeared to be non-life threatening injuries and the suspect was killed, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said at a news conference outside Grady Memorial Hospital where they were being treated.
Mayor Andre Dickens also spoke late Saturday about the shooting.
“All of the officers of this department of this force will be fine,” Schierbaum said.
Schierbaum said officers were responding to a report of an armed individual in the 1400 block of Desoto Avenue at around 5:15 p.m. when the incident occurred.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
At the scene, there was a struggle between the officers and suspect, Schierbaum said. The suspect’s name was not released late Saturday.
The officers — two of them age 31 and the third age 28 — were in stable condition. All three officers, whose names were not released, have been with the department at least four years, the chief said. Two were undergoing surgery late Saturday.
“They are alert conscious and breathing,” Schierbaum said.
Dickens said he and the chief had spoken to the families of the officers.
“Once again you can see that guns are causing harm in our community and unfortunately APD officers were hit,” Dickens said.
As is customary in officer-involved shootings, the GBI will investigate the incident.
Saturday’s incident will be the 24th shooting involving officers the GBI has investigated this year, down from 37 on this date last year. APD previously had an officer-involved shooting on Feb. 14.
In that incident, a police sergeant patrolling the area of Forsyth and Brotherton streets, just south of downtown near the Garnett MARTA station when he came across a car break-in, police previously said.
The sergeant saw a man, identified as 31-year-old Antonio Carter, in the back of a silver Nissan Altima that was parked along the street, according to the GBI. Carter refused to show his hands and the officer fired into the car, striking the man. He survived his injuries.
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