Three members of the Atlanta Police Department are on the mend after a shooting incident in the Capitol View neighborhood sent bullets flying and left one man dead. Officers Jason Hodge, Darien Tabor, and Charles Smith were identified as the wounded officers in the May 11 confrontation, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
The officers were responding to reports of a suspect brandishing a weapon on the 1400 block of Desoto Avenue SW when the man, upon their arrival, drew a handgun. In an intense struggle that unfolded near Desoto and Genessee avenues, an officer tackled the armed individual to the ground, a gunshot was heard, and the suspect was subsequently killed by police fire. According to police, responding to the sound of a gunshot, the officers were shot on duty, with one officer shot in the leg, another in the shoulder, and the third grazed by a bullet.
Officer Hodge luckily sustained only minor injuries and was released the following day, but Tabor and Smith weren't as fortunate—both requiring surgical intervention, as confirmed by the Atlanta Police Department. According to a report by Atlanta News First, Tabor is currently recuperating, while Smith awaits further surgery at Grady Memorial Hospital.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has taken the reins of the case, with an ongoing probe into the deadly exchange, which is routine whenever an officer discharges a weapon. While the GBI provided details of the incident, noting that the altercation involved "what sounded like a gunshot" before the officers were struck, the name of the deceased suspect has yet to be disclosed. The investigation will attempt to piece together the events leading up to the incident that left three officers wounded, with a statement obtained by Atlanta News First summarizing, "Three of the responding officers sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wounds."
