Georgia cop killed on first shift in retaliation for an arrest hour earlier, investigators say

A Georgia police officer was gunned down during his first shift and police say they have the suspect in custody.

Damien Ferguson was arrested at his home in Alamo, Georgia, in connection to the shooting of Officer Dylan Harrison. Harrison was a part-time officer with the Alamo Police Department and was killed during his first shift.

Harrison was on duty around 1 a.m. Oct 9 when he stopped a suspect in a Circle K parking lot for a traffic violation, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations. The stop happened across the street from the police department.

Harrison asked the person for his name and identification and the suspect refused, according to the Bureau. The suspect started to argue with the office and then pushed Harrison. The cop tried to put the man under arrest.

The suspect resisted the arrest and Harrison used his Taser. The suspect was then arrested and taken to Wheeler County Jail, according to the Bureau.

The suspect was a friend of Ferguson. Police say Ferguson then organized an ambush-style attack in retaliation for the arrest. Ferguson shot and killed Harrison in the ambush.

SWAT teams and other police arrested Ferguson without incident at his home on Oct. 10. He is being held in the Lawrence County jail.

Ferguson was charged with murder. He was also charged with aggravated stalking in relation to a previous domestic incident.

Alamo Police Karen Zanders said Harrison leaves behind a wife and 6-month-old child. She added he was killed for doing his job.

“I have never experienced a grief that I have felt since Officer Dylan Harrison’s life was taken in our small quiet town,” Zanders said at a news conference streamed online.