ATLANTA: A police officer in a small, central Georgia city has been shot and killed by a suspect who remains on the loose, authorities said Sunday.
Eastman Patrol Officer Tim Smith was fatally shot about 9:30 p.m. Saturday in the city 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 that it is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Deeds’ whereabouts.
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 15-year-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 non-life threatening injuries and is recovering after surgery.
The shooting occurred at the Gallery Apartments when officers responded to a call about car break-ins, Wallace said.