Community mourns DeKalb officer killed in crash

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A man is in jail and accused of murder for the death of a DeKalb County police officer after he crashed his patrol car early Saturday morning.

Greg Mickles told Channel 2's Liz Artz his house backs up to DeKalb Medical Parkway. He said he was awoken by a loud boom early Saturday morning. It was the sound of

DeKalb police Officer Ivorie Klusmann losing control of his squad car and slamming into a nearby tree. Mickles told said it sounded like two cars colliding head-on.

The 31-year-old officer and father of two died instantly. Police said he had pulled over 27-year-old Gregory Lee Harvey Jr. on a routine traffic stop when Harvey fled the scene in a stolen Jeep Cherokee. Police said it was during Klusmann's effort to catch Harvey that he fatally crashed.

A man who told Artz he graduated the police academy with Klusmann in April was at the crash site with flowers Saturday afternoon to memorialize someone he got to know well during police training. The two had only been on the streets a couple of months. The man was visibly shaken as he placed flowers at the scene.

He declined to comment on the incident.

The accident remains under investigation. Police are still trying to figure out how Klusmann lost control. They're looking at all possibilities, including something in the road.

DeKalb Police Chief Cedric Alexander said he has clergy at Klusmann's precinct and with the officer's family to offer support.

Harvey faces a slew of charges including felony murder, misdemeanor reckless driving and felony theft by receiving motor vehicle.

WSBTV