Two police officers were shot — one of them fatally — while responding to a domestic disturbance near Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, Georgia, Wednesday morning.
Police Chief Mark Scott said the Americus Police Department received a call about a domestic dispute at an apartment complex at about 9:30 a.m. He said an Americus officer responded and a Georgia Southwestern campus officer went to the scene as backup.
Via PoliceMag.com:
Upon arrival at the scene, the officers came under fire from a suspect who was outside of one of the apartment buildings.
Authorities have identified the suspect as Minguell Lembrick. Chief Scott said the suspect was being sought on an active warrant for an earlier incident at the time of the shooting, but the officers were not aware of the fact the man was wanted.
At a press conference this afternoon, Scott identified the Americus police officer who was killed as Nicholas Smart. The Georgia Southwestern officer, who is reportedly in “very very critical condition,” was identified as Jodi Smith. Smart is the 61st officer to be killed by gunfire this year, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
A multi-agency manhunt is under way for the Lembrick, a career criminal who authorities believe is still in the area.
A little less than an hour after the shooting, a Facebook account for “Minguell GStreet Lembrick” went live for four seconds.
“I’m gonna miss y’all folks, man,” the 32-year-old said in the video.
Within two hours, the video had been viewed more than 18,000 times. However, the video had been removed early afternoon.
About an hour before the video was posted, Lembrick wrote, “Love ya, Nikki brown. I tried to stay out to get ya (expletive) happen…other life gone not going to jail.”
In 2003, Lembrick was charged with false imprisonment, simple battery and criminal trespassing in Sumter County, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections website. He had an active warrant for kidnapping and other charges at the time of the shooting.
Sumpter County sheriff’s administrative assistant Dianne Brown said Lembrick has been jailed there at least four times since 2009 on charges ranging from battery, probation violation and aggravated stalking.
Lembrick also was arrested in Laurens County in 2009 and charged with interference with government property.
A woman and child were at the apartments but were uninjured, officials say.
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