JONESBORO — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating an officer-involved shooting of a 17-year-old man who killed a K-9 officer.
According to a Sept. 3 GBI press release, the agency was called in by the Clayton County Police Department for an independent investigating after Stephon Ford, 17, of Jonesboro, was killed by police on Sept. 2 at about 9:50 a.m., hours after Ford fatally shot CCPD K-9 Waro.
According to Clayton County Police, on Sept. 2 at about 1:46 a.m., officers responded to the 8000th block of Tara Boulevard after getting a request for help from the Jonesboro Police Department.
Upon arrival, Clayton County officers helped with an ongoing investigation regarding a suspect that took flight from the location on foot. Ford was one of three males who were reported for suspicious activity around the Home 1 Extended Stay, 8240 Tara Blvd., Clayton police said in a Saturday afternoon press conference.
The Jonesboro Police Department then called the Clayton County Police Department and requested a K-9 unit to held find Ford.
Clayton County Police K-9 Waro was deployed into the nearby wood line where he engaged the suspect.
The police K-9 alerted officers on the suspect in the wood line and officers subsequently issued verbal commands for the suspect to surrender.
The suspect produced a handgun and began firing in the direction of officers.
The police K-9 was struck and subsequently rushed to a local area animal hospital for treatment, where he later succumbed to his injuries. No officers or residents were injured during the incident.
Warrants were issued for Ford aggravated assault on a peace officer, aggravated cruelty to animals, and destruction of government property. Police spent the next several hours searching for Ford and they found him about eight hours later in Jonesboro, police said.
Police said Ford was given…
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