1 Officer Dead, 1 Critically Injured After Shooting Near Georgia Southwestern State University
The suspect is still at large and is considered armed and dangerous.
— -- One police officer is dead, and another officer is in critical condition after a shooting near Georgia Southwestern State University today.
The officers — one with the local police department and one with the school — were called to a domestic dispute off campus when they encountered the suspect, said Americus Police Chief Mark Scott.
Americus Police Officer Nicholas Smarr, 25, was dispatched at 9:40 a.m. to the apartment complex -- at the same time Georgia Southwestern State University Officer Jodi Smith, who responded as backup, Scott said.
Gunshots were exchanged between the officers and the suspect, 32-year-old Minguel Kennedy Lembrick, and both officers were shot, Scott said.
Smarr died from his injuries, Scott said, while Smith was taken to the hospital in very critical condition, Scott said.
Lembrick is still on the loose and is considered to be armed and dangerous, Scott said.
Police are unsure if Lembrick is still in the area and are following up on tips on where he may be hiding.
The Georgia Southwestern State University campus was placed under lockdown in response to the shooting. People on campus were advised to shelter in place. No students were hurt or endangered, the school said.
The university campus sits in the center of Americus, so often campus police officers will assist city police, said Mike Tracey, Chief of Police at Georgia Southwestern State University.
The FBI and Georgia Bureau of Investigation are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Lembrick.
Smarr had been with the Americus Police Department since 2012. His body will be taken to Georgia Bureau of Investigation office in Macon in the morning, said GBI Director Vernon Keenan.