ALAMO (Ga.) — An accused of shooting down a Georgia officer in his first shift with that department, he ambushed him as retaliation for an associate’s arrest hours earlier, authorities stated.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Damien Anthony Ferguson, 43 years old was charged with murder in the shooting of Officer Dylan Harrison at the Alamo Police Department on Saturday morning.
After he saw a traffic violation, Harrison approached the driver in the Circle K convenience store parking lot. Harrison was pushed by the driver who refused to identify himself. Harrison used his Taser to arrest the man and take him to jail, according to authorities.
The bureau released a statement Sunday evening stating that it was believed that Officer Harrison was attacked in an ambush-style fashion as a retaliation to the incident and arrest of the suspect. They didn’t identify the man.
Alamo Police Chief Karen Zanders spoke at a press conference on Sunday. She said that she has never felt the same grief since Officer Dylan Harrison died in our small, quiet community.
She added, “His life was taken away for doing his job.”
Ferguson was taken into custody Sunday afternoon at his Alamo home, in Wheeler County, about 90 miles (145 km) southeast of Macon. A division of the U.S. SWAT team assisted Ferguson in his arrest. After a lengthy manhunt, Marshals Service detained him without incident.
Authorities also said that he was being held in Laurens County jail on suspicion of aggravated stalking for a domestic incident.
Sunday was not immediately clear if he had an attorney to represent him.
Harrison’s wife and 6-month-old son, Harrison, are his surviving.
