WHEELER COUNTY, Ga. — A central Georgia police officer was shot and killed overnight, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said early Saturday.
In an afternoon press conference, the GBI said Officer Dylan Harrison of the Alamo Police Department was a 26-year-old husband and new father to a 6-month-old baby, who was working his first shift on the job.
The GBI said Harrison was shot and killed just outside the Alamo Police Department station at around 1 a.m.
They identified Damien Ferguson, who also may go by Luke Ferguson, as the suspect. A blue alert has been issued, which is done when a suspect has killed or seriously injured a law enforcement officer and is considered a "seriously threat to the public" who has not been caught. A reward for $17,500 is also on offer for information leading to Ferguson's capture.
The Alamo Police Department is in Wheeler County, about two-and-a-half-hours southeast of Atlanta and a little more than 20 miles west of Vidalia.
"The GBI is investigating the death of an Alamo Police Officer who was shot & killed overnight in Wheeler County. We’ll provide additional details as we get them," the GBI tweeted.
The Alamo department also lost an officer earlier this year to COVID-19.
Gov. Brian Kemp tweeted about the officer's death, writing that, "Our thoughts and prayers are with this officer's family, friends and colleagues at the Alamo Police Department. May God continue to be with all who protect and serve."
The Georgia Department of Public Safety sent its condolences to the Alamo Police Department.
"We are deeply saddened to hear of the loss of Alamo Police Department's Officer killed in the line of duty early this morning. We send our thoughts and prayers to the Officer's family, blood and blue," the agency tweeted.