A Georgia sheriff’s deputy was shot in the head and killed while responding to a domestic incident at a Spalding County home on Friday.
A suspect fired from a window at two deputies as they crossed the yard while responding to the incident.
One of the two deputies was struck in the head while the other managed to return fire.
A standoff followed before officers forced entry into the residence and located the suspect hiding under a mattress.
Sheriff Darrell Dix said the fallen deputy was a supervisor and military veteran.
“One of those guys that every time you saw him he would smile. He would call your name across the parking lot just to say hey to you,” Dix said of the slain deputy.
“He had a command presence about him, and the people who worked with him on his shift loved him.”
The suspect, identified as 57-year-old Todd Lamont Harper, was reportedly known to local authorities for previous behavior and mental health incidents.
