DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Police say an officer shot a man after the suspect stabbed him. Both are now in the hospital.
People who watched police investigate this incident say the officer was trying to protect and serve.
“So, I pray to God he lives. I pray to God he lives,” Pauline Renfroe told Channel 2’s Tom Jones.
Renfroe said her heart goes out to the officer who police say a man stabbed in front of an empty building on North Decatur road Monday morning just after 8 a.m.
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She told Channel 2 Action News she also sympathizes with the suspect, who the officer then shot.
Renfroe believes the man is homeless and was startled when the officer showed up.
“He just happened to stab the wrong one,” Renfroe said.
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DeKalb County Police say the officer arrived on a suspicious person call. There was a confrontation and the officer was stabbed and the suspect shot.
“Like pow, pow, pow. That was it. It was like a couple of rounds,” a woman who didn’t want to be identified says she heard as she walked to the nearby Dollar Tree.
A witness recorded video that shows several officers on scene as paramedics worked on the officer. The video also shows paramedics tending to the wounded man. We’ve blurred the video of them working on the suspect.
“And the next thing you know the officer was escorted out first and then the bystander was escorted out,” the woman said.
People in the area say homeless people hang out at the empty building because of the shelter it provides.
“That probably was the situation. That’s probably why he walked over to check on him,” Renfroe said.
Renfroe has a son who she says chooses to be homeless and has some mental issues. So, she knows the dangers officers face.
“So, I hate it happened to someone who is out there for us,” she said.
Police have not released the name of the suspect, who is in the hospital where he is critical.
They have also not released the identity of the officer who is stable in the hospital.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is still looking into the incident.
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