An exchange of gunfire broke out on Wednesday while law enforcement officers were clearing the scene of an encampment where a new police training facility is being built in suburban Atlanta. According to officials, the incident left one guy dead and a state trooper wounded.
According to Michael Register, the Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, who spoke at a news conference, officers from the Georgia State Patrol and multiple local agencies entered the forested area on Wednesday morning. The man then suddenly opened fire on the officers.
According to the statements made by Register to the media, “this guy shot a Georgia State Patrol officer without any prior notice.” “The other members of law enforcement engaged the attackers in a firefight in self-defense before evacuating the soldier to a secure location. During the exchange of gunfire, the man who opened fire on law enforcement and shot the officer was among those who were slain.”
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On Wednesday morning, a Georgia state trooper was injured and another guy was slain in a forested area in DeKalb County. Law enforcement officers are now on the site of the incident at the location. The trooper was wounded in the abdomen but is said to be in stable condition. He was wearing a bulletproof vest at the time of the shooting.
Four people were taken into custody at the location, which is where protesters have been camped out for the past year in order to voice their opposition to the construction of the $90 million Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, which the protesters refer to as “Cop City.”
The identity of the injured officer and the individual who was killed has not been made public by the police. The officer who was injured was a trooper. On Wednesday morning, four people were taken into custody in the area of the future location of the new police training center.
Near the construction site of the new facility, five people were taken into custody and charged with domestic terrorism a month ago. The suspects are accused of throwing rocks and automobiles at police and attacking emergency medical technicians.
Defend the Atlanta Forest, one of the several groups that are rallying against the center, is arranging vigils in memory of the protester who was slain. According to a tweet sent out by the organization, “Today, police assassinated a forest defender, someone who loved the forest, and someone who battled to protect the land and its inhabitants.”
Over the course of the past year, protesters have set up camp in the area surrounding the location of the new training site. Tents and other forms of shelter have been erected in the woods by the demonstrators. The Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, has vowed to take action against persons who have set up camp at the location of the new training facility.
On Wednesday, after the shooting, Kemp said, “As our prayers remain with him and his family, our commitment also remains firm and strong to see offenders brought to justice.”