An early morning shootout Saturday left a drug fugitive dead and an Atlanta police officer thankful for body armor.
Officer Corey Grogen and Lt. John Demitt came under fire when they tried to arrest Joshua Rickman at his southwest Atlanta home for a hostage incident in Douglasville Friday.
The officers returned fire and killed Rickman, police said. Grogen, an eight-year Atlanta police veteran, was hit in the chest.
"Thank God his bulletproof vest prevented any penetration," police spokeswoman Sylvia Abernathy told WSB-TV.
A bullet shattered Demitt's shoulder radio and shrapnel struck his face.
Both men were treated at Grady Memorial Hospital and released, Abernathy said.
A woman believed to be Rickman's girlfriend was shot in the leg and hospitalized in stable condition.
The chain of events began Friday night in Douglasville when Rickman took several people hostage in an apartment, Douglasville Police Chief Joe Whisenant said.
"He was allegedly upset about a couple pounds of methamphetamines that he said had been stolen from him inside that apartment," Whisenant said. "When police officers arrived, they started jumping out second story windows and a balcony trying to get away."
Police tracked Rickman to his house in Atlanta, and dozens of officers, SWAT team members, firefighters and paramedics converged on the neighborhood. The commotion woke a nearby family.
"We heard a succession of gunshots," said a woman who spoke to WSB-TV on condition of anonymity. "My daughter came running in the room and she said the police were outside."
The girl said she witnessed the shooting.
"I saw police and the man fire," she said.
The police spokeswoman, Abernathy, said the heavy police presence in the neighborhood was standard procedure.
"This is a residential area, so we have to be concerned for the families," Abernathy said. "Whenever you have a hostage situation or a fugitive who is armed and dangerous, there are challenges that you face."
WSBTV.com Web editor Dan Williams compiled this report with reporting from Channel Two correspondent Elenora Andrews.
Posted by: Wolfman
Good for the officer. Like a seatbelt, by the time you realize you need it it had better already be on.
Is it just me though, or does anyone else cringe when you hear people using this term - ESPECIALLY someone affiliated with a PD?:
Quote:
"Thank God his bulletproof vest prevented any penetration," police spokeswoman Sylvia Abernathy told WSB-TV.
"Bulletproof Vest" just seems to sit right up there with myths like "Routine Patrol".
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops
About MassCops, the home for Massachusetts law enforcement.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network opened in 1998 and is now a part of the New England Police Network The site is a pro-police discussion forum intended for sworn police officers and civilian law enforcement officials as well as those interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement here in Massachusetts.
The goal of The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network is to provide an informal network of law enforcement officials here in Massachusetts for educational and informational purposes.
The forum covers many topics such as Police Related News Articles, Agency & Profession Discussions, Police Training as well as Law Enforcement Career Information.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network and The New England Police Network (NEPN) and it's network sites are privately owned websites/domains and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any government association or agency.
MassCops (masscops.com) and (masscop.com) are privately owned are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Massachusetts Coalition of Police (masscop.org)
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops