Bulletproof vest saves life of Morrow police officer shot after responding to call, department says

MORROW, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A Morrow police officer was shot Wednesday night, according to the police department.

Ellie Parker, Don Shipman
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Bulletproof vest saves life of Morrow police officer shot after responding to call, department says
Atlanta Life
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MORROW, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A Morrow police officer was shot Wednesday night, according to the police department.

It happened in Morrow on the 1800 block of Mount Zion Road. Morrow police said they responded to a fight that broke out around 9:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Las Trojas Cantina Mexican Restaurant and when they went to confront one of the people involved, he turned and shot an officer, later identified as Myron Bell, in the chest and then ran off.

“All the officer was trying to do was trying to help defuse the incident, you know the argument,” said Cameletta Compton of Jonesboro, who frequents the shopping plaza.

Bell was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. Police said he was wearing a bulletproof vest and is expected to be okay. Officials gave an update Thursday morning saying, “he is still in the hospital and is fine.”

Officials say a second officer chased down the gunman for several hundred feet and eventually shot him. He was also taken to Grady and is expected to recover.

The suspected shooter was identified as Keon Devon Christian, 26, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). The GBI said Morrow police have issued aggravated assault on a peace officer and criminal attempt to commit murder charges against Christian.

“It saddens me to see in these times that people are so quick to just pull out a gun and shoot,” said Compton.

Clayton County sheriff deputies, Clayton County police, and Atlanta police responded to the scene, among other agencies.

This is the second shooting involving law enforcement in the last two days. Tuesday night, a Fulton County deputy briefly chased a suspect in west Atlanta, before shooting him.

As with any officer-involved shooting, the GBI is conducting an independent investigation. Once complete, the cases are turned over to their respective district attorney’s office.

Check back with Atlanta News First for more updates.

July 14, 2024

Story attribution: Ellie Parker, Don Shipman
Atlanta Life

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