ADAIRSVILLE, Ga. — A Georgia police chief says a ballistic vest saved one of his officers who was shot by an aggravated assault suspect.
Adairsville Police Chief Mike Jones confirmed to Channel 2’s Bryan Mims that the officer was treated and released from the hospital.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation identified the suspect as Saeed Ahmed Reed, 26, of Clayton County, who was shot and killed.
The officer was trying to pull over a speeding driver near Joe Frank Harris Pkwy and Hwy 140 around 1:15 a.m. on Thursday.
The officer didn’t know the suspect was wanted for aggravated assault.
The GBI said Reed got out of his SUV and walked away from the officer when he pulled a gun from his waistband and opened fire.
“The suspect shot our officer in the center of his chest. Thankfully saved by his vest,” Jones said.
Police said the suspect attempted to shoot the officer two more times, and the officer was forced to return fire to protect himself.
The GBI said Reed was shot multiple times and died in the hospital. The GBI and Adairsville police have not identified the officer.
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At the Little Rock Café, across the street from the Adairsville Police Department, co-owner Mandi Lidy serves officers nearly every day.
“All of the officers, they all come in and see us and love on us and let us love on them,” she said.
Officers were in the restaurant on Thursday, hours after their comrade was shot in the line of duty.
“And he is just sore and bruised up, but he’s doing well, we hear,” Lidy said. “So we’re happy about that. We’re thankful for the provision that no one else got injured or killed in the shooting.”
Georgia has no law requiring law enforcement officers to wear ballistic vests, but most agencies, including Adairsville police, have policies mandating their officers to wear them while on patrol.
The Georgia Fraternal Order of Police works to get bulletproof vests to small police departments and sheriff’s offices, which may struggle to afford them.
“For a smaller agency, even to equip five officers, that’s $5,000 – that’s a lot of money to a smaller agency,” said Steven Gaynor of the Georgia FOP.
He said the organization budgets about $24,000 each year to provide body armor to small agencies, and the gear is equipped with Narcan and a tourniquet.
“In the old days, they didn’t like to wear it,” Gaynor said. “It was very cumbersome, very hot. But nowadays, given the climate, people have learned that the vest is another barrier to help you go home at the end of the night.”
The GBI is handling the investigation of the shooting. It said three other adults and a child were inside the SUV, but they were not hurt.
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