Shot GA Officer Has Bullet In Carotid Artery: Police

COVINGTON, GA — A Georgia police officer shot at a Walmart south of Atlanta remained in serious condition with a bullet lodged in his body on Tuesday, while one suspect in the shooting was dead and two more were in custody.

Police in Covington, Ga., said thousands of people from across the country have reached out after news broke of the Monday shooting, which came as Officer Matt Cooper, 34, was chasing shoplifting suspects.

"Words cannot express how touched we all are," Covington Police Department spokesman Justin Stott said in news release. "We want to let you know that Matt’s condition hasn’t changed."

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

Stott said Cooper, who was air-lifted to Atlanta Medical Center after the roughly 1 p.m. shooting, has a bullet lodged in his carotid artery. He was scheduled to be evaluated by a vascular surgeon Tuesday morning in advance of an effort to remove the bullet, Stott said.

"His vital signs are strong," Stott said. "Matt Cooper is strong! He is a fighter! Please continue to pray for the Cooper family."

Stott said Tuesday afternoon that Cooper had been transferred to Grady Memorial Hospital.

Cooper, a 6-year veteran of the department and a military veteran, responded at about 12:24 p.m. Monday the the Walmart at 10300 Industrial Blvd. in Covington. He chased a shoplifting suspect across the street and behind another shopping center, where several shots were fired.

The suspect was shot and killed in the exchange, although police say it was not immediately clear if Cooper shot the suspect or the suspect shot himself. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into the death, as is customary in cases of officer-involved shootings in Georgia.

Covington is in Newton County, about 35 miles southeast of Atlanta.

Two more suspects were arrested in the incident. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the two people taken into custody are 11 and 15 years old. They are believed to have participated in the shoplifting, but not the shooting, the AJC reports.

Stott said anyone wishing to donate to Cooper's healthcare may do so through Covington Police Who Care, Inc., a 501C3 nonprofit, at P.O. Box 3019 Covington, GA 30015, or call 770-385-2199.

Photo courtesy Covington Police Department