A Clayton County police officer who was shot while responding to a call about person in crisis will return home today after nearly a year of treatment and rehabilitation for her injuries.
Officer Demika Lloyd was hit with multiple gunshots as she tried to wrestle a gun away from another woman on July 27, 2022, Clayton police said. The suspected shooter, 25-year-old Aiyanah Pryor, left the scene while Lloyd lay on the ground.
Lloyd did not receive medical assistance until an ambulance arrived later and she was taken to a hospital with critical injuries. It’s not clear how long she lay there without treatment, or if the delay affected her medical condition.
As she recovered from her injuries, Lloyd moved from the hospital to a rehab facility where she has spent most of the last year, police spokeswoman Julia Isaac said. Today, Lloyd will finally return to her home for the first time since the shooting. She will continue to receive in-home care and does not have a timetable for returning to work, Isaac said.
Clayton police are inviting the community to celebrate Lloyd’s homecoming at 3:45 p.m. at their headquarters. Lloyd had worked for the department for less than two years when she was injured.
“Please line the streets and the front lawn with signs and posters welcoming Officer Demika Lloyd back home,” the invitation said.
Pryor, the suspected shooter, drove to Atlanta after the incident and was located by Atlanta police, officials said. She is suspected of firing a shot at officers as they closed in on her on foot, and she was seriously injured when Atlanta police officers returned fire, a department spokesman said.
Even before Lloyd was shot, the situation with Pryor had escalated throughout the evening. Hours earlier, the officer responded with paramedics to a call about a suicidal person at Pryor’s house, but they left after Pryor refused help.
When Lloyd returned for the third similar call of the night, she entered Pryor’s home alone and called out to her using her first name, as can be seen in video footage released by Clayton police. The video shows Lloyd and Pryor speaking outside the back door as Pryor holds a handgun. Lloyd can be seen lunging for the gun, leading the women to grapple with one another until Pryor is seen firing multiple shots.
Clayton police said Lloyd will not be exiting the car during Friday’s celebration, but “she would love to receive a warm welcome from the citizens she served.”
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