Georgian cop Dylan Harrison shot dead on first shift, killer on the loose

A Georgian police officer was shot and killed while working for his first team on Saturday, leaving behind a wife and a 6-month-old baby.

Dylan Harrison, 26, was shot and killed outside Alamo Police Station around 1 a.m. on Saturday, Georgia Bureau of Investigation [GBI] spokeswoman Natalie Ammons said at a press conference.

Harrison, a native of Dudley, was working his first part-time shift with the Alamo Police Department when he was killed. He had worked in law enforcement since 2018 and was also employed full-time by the GBI anti-drug task force in Eastmond, authorities said.

Law enforcement did not give details of what led to the shooting, but they did name a suspect: Damian Ferguson, 43, also known as Luke Ferguson.

GBI offered a reward of $ 17,500 for any information leading to Ferguson’s arrest. Authorities have also issued a statewide “blue alert” issued to warn a fleeing suspect who has killed an officer and could pose a danger to the community.

“Anyone with information on Ferguson’s whereabouts or any information you feel is relevant to this investigation should contact us,” Ammons said.

The investigation remains “very active”, she said.

Harrison’s body was taken to a GBI lab for an autopsy, officials added.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp offered his condolences to Harrison’s family and the Alamo Police Department in a tweet Saturday.

“Early this morning, one of our law enforcement officials in Central Georgia was killed in the line of duty,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and colleagues of this officer from the Alamo Police Department.”

Georgia Ministry of Public Security said in a tweet he was “deeply saddened” by the officer’s death, sending “thoughts and prayers to the officer’s family, blood and blue”.