Georgia police arrest man accused of fatally shooting officer who was working his first shift

By Amir Vera and Keith Allen, CNN

A SWAT team in Georgia arrested a man accused of fatally shooting a 26-year-old police officer who was working his first shift, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced Sunday.

Damien Ferguson, 43, was taken into custody without incident a day after the shooting death of Officer Dylan Harrison. He has been charged with murder in connection with the shooting and aggravated stalking for a separate domestic incident, according to the GBI. Ferguson is also known as Luke Ferguson, the GBI said.

“Today, shortly before 2:30 p.m. Damien Anthony Ferguson was taken into custody during the execution of a search warrant at his residence in Alamo, GA,” said GBI spokesperson Natalie Ammons.

Ferguson was captured less than one mile away from where Harrison was shot in Alamo, the state’s Department of Public Safety said on Facebook and Twitter.

“Intel provided by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the United States Marshals Service was instrumental in capturing Ferguson,” the post read.

Harrison, 26, was working his first department shift when he was fatally shot outside the Alamo Police Department in Wheeler County early Saturday. He leaves behind a wife and a 6-month-old child.

Harrison was attacked “ambush-style” after a known associate of Damien Ferguson got into an altercation with Harrison. The unnamed man was tased and ultimately arrested, the GBI statement said.

“His life was taken from him for simply doing his job,” said Alamo Police Chief Karen Zanders. “We will never forget Officer Harrison and the fact that he made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the safety of each one of us.”

Correction: This story has been updated with the correct spelling of Police Chief Karen Zanders’ last name.

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