Authorities confirmed Thursday that Minquell Lembrick, the suspect sought in the fatal shooting of an Americus, Georgia, police officer, is dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
As part of the massive manhunt that involved 20 agencies and a $50,000 reward, a SWAT team moved in on the house where they believed Minguell Lembrick was barricaded in Americus.
Via WSB Radio:
Americus Police Chief Mark Scott said officers heard what sounded like a gunshot while setting up a perimeter around the home where a 911 caller said Lembrick was hiding. They continued to set up the perimeter and tried for about an hour to contact Lembrick.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has confirmed that the suspect is dead.
Via USA Today:
The suspect was wanted in the fatal shooting of Americus police officer Nicholas Smarr, 25, and the wounding of Georgia Southwestern State University officer Jodi Smith, who were responding to a report of a domestic disturbance at an apartment complex in the south Georgia city.
The FBI and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s initial offer of a $20,000 reward for information on Lembrick’s whereabouts quickly swelled to $50,000 on Thursday following contributions by local agencies and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Americus Police Chief Mark Scott said of the fatal shooting of Officer Smarr:
[I]t’s a tragedy beyond words … one of our family members has been taken from us.
Lembrick was a career criminal who had outstanding warrants for kidnapping and other charges related to a previous domestic incident when the unsuspecting officers responded to the 911 call.
Shortly after the shootings Wednesday a Facebook account for “Minguell GStreet Lembrick” posted several messages:
Love ya, Nikki brown. I tried to stay out to get ya (expletive) happen … other life gone not going to jail.
“I’m gonna miss y’all folks, man,” the 32-year-old said in a video about an hour later.
The final message on Lembrick’s page read: “Love yall.”
The cop killer’s friends and supporters on Facebook, meanwhile, offered prayers and messages of support.
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