DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. -- Officials have arrested a 32-year-old man in the murders of two DeKalb County police officers. Police continue to look for other suspects.

Authorities have charged Herbie Deshawn Durham with two counts of murder. He was arrested Wednesday night.

Police launched a wide dragnet for at least two gunmen who shot and killed two DeKalb County police officers early Wednesday morning at a Glenwood Road apartment complex.

DeKalb Police Chief Terrell Bolton identified the officers as Eric Barker, 33, and 26-year-old Ricky Bryant Jr. Bryant was a two-year veteran of the department, and Barker worked there for four years.

A reward for information on the killings was announced by DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Vernon Jones. By Wednesday afternoon the fund had climbed to $55,000.

"We're gonna hunt 'em down," said Bolton during an afternoon news conference. "Of all the avenues I've gone down as police chief this one was the darkest and the toughest hour I've ever had."

The officers reportedly were off-duty, but in uniform working as security guards at the Glenwood Garden Apartments at 4371 Glenwood Road. Police said it appears they were checking out reports of a suspicious person at the apartments just after 12:30 a.m. when they were shot. Neither officer drew their weapon, according to investigators.

Police think at least two gunmen attacked the officers.

"They were ambushed," Bolton said during a news conference near the scene of the shootings. "I have never seen such brutality."

A tow truck driver called police to the scene around 12:40 a.m. and the arriving officers found the two officers down, according to Bolton

One of the officers died at the scene, the other on the way to the hospital and was declared dead at Grady Memorial Hospital, according to police officials.

Bolton said they were in their late 20s to early 30s and said they both were like sons to him.

He said one had two years experience and the other had four years.

Officers at the scene told WSB-TV Channel 2's Tiffani Reynolds that one of the officers has four children under 12-years-old.

"These police officers were heros," said DeKalb CEO Jones. "What happened to them was an outright cowardly act."

"We will not rest until the persons responsible for this are apprehended," added Jones.

Bolton is urging the suspects to turn themselves in.

"We're hurting right now," Bolton said. "But we'll get through this. We'll deal with it and we'll apprehend them."

More than 50 officers, including the DeKalb County SWAT team responded to the area.

A command center has been set up at a shopping center in the 4,000 block of Glenwood Road.

Commuters are advised to stay out of the area as police searching for the gunmen shut down some roads.

Schools in the area were on lockdown all day Wednesday during the police search. Those schools included: Columbia High, Towers High, Snapfinger Elementary, Atherton Elementary, Wadsworth Elementary and Glenhaven Elementary. Exterior doors at the schools were locked and movement in and out of the buildings was closely monitored.

Some school buses were rerouted during the search for the suspects.

Police have scheduled a 1:00 p.m. news conference at the scene of the shootings.

Bolton advised the men who shot the officers to turn themselves in. He said during a pre-dawn news conference, "The sun's coming up. Before sundown, we're gonna find you."