GA Cop Fatally Shot During First Shift; Suspect Arrested For Murder

ALAMO, GA — A middle Georgia man has been charged with murder after investigators said he fatally shot a police officer while he was working his first shift.

Shortly before 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Damien "Luke" Anthony Ferguson, 43, of Alamo, Georgia, was charged with murder for the shooting death of Alamo Police Officer Dylan Harrison, and aggravated stalking related to a previous domestic incident, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Ferguson was taken into custody at his home in Alamo by the State of Georgia SWAT Team and U.S. Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force. Ferguson is being held at the Laurens County Jail.

On Friday night, Harrison was on duty when he talked with a man, believed to be Ferguson, for a traffic violation in the parking lot of the Circle K across the street from the Alamo Police Department.

Harrison asked the man for his name and identification, and the man refused. Ferguson argued with Harrison, which escalated to him pushing the officer. Harrison attempted to place the suspect under arrest, but he did not comply, which led to the officer using his Taser.

Ferguson was eventually arrested and taken to the Wheeler County Jail.

Harrison was outside the Alamo Police Department station in middle Georgia around 1 a.m. Saturday when he was shot, according to several media reports.

The GBI said the ambush-style attack on Harrison was retaliation for the earlier confrontation and Ferguson's arrest.

Harrison was in the midst of his first part-time police shift with the department in Wheeler County. He also worked full-time as an agent for the Oconee drug taskforce, FOX-5 in Atlanta reported.

Harrison, 26, was a four-year law enforcement veteran, having previously served with the Middle Georgia State University Police Department, Cochran Police Department, and Dodge County Sheriff's Office, the Officer Down Memorial Page states. The Dudley, Georgia, man is survived by his wife and 6-month-old son.