Armed Georgia Teen Fatally Shot By Cops After Killing K-9 Officer During Eight-hour Manhunt
In Georgia, a 17-year-old boy was fatally shot by police on Saturday after he allegedly killed a police dog and pointed his firearm at officers.
The teenager, identified as Stephon Ford, was involved in the incident in Jonesboro, Georgia, located about 17 miles south of Atlanta. The incident occurred just before 2 a.m.
The Jonesboro Police Department responded to reports of suspicious activity involving three males at a hotel. Upon contact, all three individuals fled, and law enforcement managed to apprehend two of them, taking them into custody.
Subsequently, the Jonesboro police sought assistance from the Clayton County Police Department in their search for the third suspect. Clayton County police deployed a K-9 unit, which located the suspect hiding in a nearby wooded area. Verbal commands were issued for the suspect to surrender, but the teenager allegedly produced a handgun and began firing, injuring the police dog.
In response, officers established a perimeter to contain the suspect and rushed the wounded police dog to a local animal hospital, where it succumbed to its injuries.
Several hours later, within the search perimeter, officers located the suspect again and instructed him repeatedly to drop his weapon, according to Clayton County police. Allegedly, the suspect then pointed his firearm at the officers, leading them to open fire on him, resulting in his death. No officers or civilians were harmed during the incident.
The ongoing investigation will be handed over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. In a Facebook post, the police identified the fallen police dog as Waro.
