Georgian policeman shot dead on first shift, community “deeply saddened”

A 26-year-old policeman in Georgia was shot and killed on his first shift early Saturday morning, investigators said.

Dylan Harrison was gunned down around 1 a.m. outside Alamo police station, and his suspected killer is still at large, Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) spokesperson Natalie Ammons told a conference Saturday afternoon press release.

The part-time officer is leaving behind a wife and six-month-old baby, Ammons said, adding that Harrison also served as a full-time Oconee Drug Task Force officer in Eastman, Ga.

Her body was sent to the GBI Crime Lab for an autopsy on Saturday, she said. Investigators had not disclosed any details of what led to the fatal shooting on Saturday night.

A blue alert has been issued for the man suspected of the shooting, Damien Anthony Ferguson, 43, she said. Blue Alerts are issued when a person accused of injuring or killing a police officer has not been arrested.

Anyone with information on her fate is urged to contact law enforcement by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), she said.

“At the moment, this investigation is very active,” she added. “The most important thing is to take the suspect into custody.”

Tributes poured in on Saturday for the slain officer and his family.

“Early this morning, one of our law enforcement officials in Central Georgia was killed in the line of duty. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and colleagues of this department officer. Alamo Police Force, ”Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp wrote on Twitter. .

He added, “May God continue to be with all who protect and serve.

Georgia’s Public Security Department wrote: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of an Alamo Police Department officer killed in the line of duty early this morning. We send our thoughts and prayers to the officer’s family, blood and blue. “

Alamo is a town of just under 5,000 residents about 90 miles southeast of Macon.

In similar news on Monday, an officer was killed in a shooting at an Amtrak station in Tuscon, Ariz., During a routine train inspection.

“I ask all Tucsonians to join me in praying for the deceased DEA officer and for the speedy recovery of the injured law enforcement,” Tuscon Mayor Regina Romero said Monday, in a press release. “I order flags in all city facilities from half the staff to honor the courageous actions of the dead and injured.”

So far in 2021, there have been at least 340 deaths in the line of duty in the United States, according to Officer Down Memorial Page. At least 45 were shot dead and 16 were killed by a ram car attack.