An Atlanta police officer is in stable condition this morning after being shot as he got off an elevator, reports 11aLive.
The officers were able to return fire, killing the suspect.
Authorities say suspect Joseph Lee Humbles, 29, ambushed Officers Khuong Thai and Officer Joshua Lovreta as they stepped out of an elevator to respond to a call of shots fired at the Peachtree apartments in Atlanta. Two of the shots hit Thai in the face and shoulder.
“He is doing well and is surrounded by his family,” Chief Rodney Bryant said about Thai, reported Patch.
Witnesses report seeing fellow officers pick up Thai and carry him to a waiting vehicle. He is expected to survive.
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“This is one of the most heroic events I’ve seen in the police department and I’ve seen many,” said Bryant to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “These officers clearly did not have an understanding of what all the threats were, but they recognized that they needed to assist their fellow police.”
Thai joined the Atlanta Police Department in 2019.
A second officer received injuries in a traffic accident while responding to the shooting.
Tenants of the Peachtree apartments described the chaos.
One tenant recalls walking to get his mail when someone grabbed him and pushed him into the leasing office for safety.
“I was just trying to get my mail and ended up in the back of the leasing office for four hours,” tenant Alex Kaplan said. “I didn’t even know there was anything going on. I was in there from about 1:15 to 5:30 p.m.”
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