Advertisement

1 officer killed and 1 wounded in Georgia; shooter at large, authorities say

Minquell Lembrick, in an undated image released by police, was suspected of shooting two officers in Americus, Ga., on Wednesday. Both officers have since died.
Minquell Lembrick, in an undated image released by police, was suspected of shooting two officers in Americus, Ga., on Wednesday. Both officers have since died.
(Americus Police Department / Associated Press)
Share

A man fatally shot one Georgia police officer and wounded a second Wednesday before fleeing an apartment complex near a college campus that went on lockdown as a precaution, authorities said. They said the suspect is believed to be armed and dangerous.

The shooting took place when the two officers were responding to a domestic dispute in Americus, about 130 miles south of Atlanta, said Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Nelly Miles. An Americus police officer died and a Georgia Southwestern State University officer was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition, she said.

The suspect, 32-year-old Minguell Kennedy Lembrick, was still at large, and local, state and federal law enforcement officers were searching for him, Americus Police Chief Mark Scott said.

Advertisement

Scott urged anyone who sees Lembrick to call police, but warned, “Do not attempt to approach him. He is armed and dangerous.”

Lembrick already had outstanding warrants and was wanted for an incident that occurred earlier in the week, but the officers didn’t know that when they responded to the 911 call, Scott told reporters.

Shortly after the shootings, a message posted on Lembrick’s Facebook page read: “other life gone not going to jail.”

Also posted to Lembrick’s account was a four-second Facebook Live video showing a young man partly concealed by shadows saying, “I’m gonna miss y’all folk, man.” The final message on Lembrick’s page read: “Love yall.”

All three posts had Facebook timestamps between 10:13 a.m. and 10:41 a.m. The video was removed a few hours after it was posted.

Miles confirmed to the Associated Press that the Facebook page belongs to the suspect.

The university issued an alert on its website, saying the shooting occurred off campus but that the campus was on lockdown.

Advertisement

ALSO

A Pearl Harbor survivor spent decades trying to forget it. Then one man got him talking

In New York, attacks on women with headscarves raise alarms

Jury selection completed in the federal murder and hate-crimes trial of Dylann Roof


UPDATES:

1:35 p.m.: This article was updated with the name of and details about the shooting suspect.

11:45 a.m.: This article was updated with news that one officer has died.

This article was originally published at 10:50 a.m.

Advertisement