Sandy Springs Officer Awarded Congressional Badge of Bravery

SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- Brad Lockridge hadn't served five years with the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office when he came face to face with a double murder suspect who didn't hesitate about making the young deputy the third life he'd consider taking.

That didn't stop Lockridge, who was approaching his third year with the agency as a deputy, from taking swift, yet pragmatic actions to prevent further bloodshed at the hands of man armed with an AR-15 rifle and a pistol.

Lockridge, who is now an officer with the Sandy Springs Police Department, was commended Wednesday for his actions in the line of duty by U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, a Republican of Bartow County. Lockridge was presented the Congressional Badge of Bravery, an honor awarded by the U.S. Attorney's General's office to federal, state and local law enforcement for demonstrating bravery in the line of duty.

The 28-year-old officer, a Sandy Springs native, told Patch it was humbling to obtain the recognition.

"It's overwhelming," he added. "It's an honor to get this. I hate to have to get it in these circumstances, but I'm glad to receive this prestigious award."

When asked what that night was like for him, Lockridge could only describe those moments he came face-to-face with the Rockdale County suspect as "terror."

Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett recounted the chain of events for the dozens of officers and public servants and officials who gathered at the Sandy Springs Police Department to pay their respects to Lockridge, who was hired by Rockdale County on Aug. 12, 2013, and promoted to the rank of investigator in July 2015.

Recognizing his former deputy is a special occasion, Levett said, because when you are in law enforcement, "we are giving our lives up each and everyday to protect the citizens of our respective locations."

On May 31, 2015, Lockridge responded to a home of a man, later identified as Jeffrey Scott Pitts, believed to have fatally shot two store clerks in connection to an ongoing dispute. The man was supposed to repay stolen merchandise from the business the week prior to the double shooting, Levett said.

While inside the home, the suspect reportedly shot and wounded his two parents and by the time Lockridge arrived on the scene, the suspect's father ran outside to safety "while the suspect, armed with an AR-15 assault rifle, came out into the garage and began firing at the deputy," Levett said.

Lockridge and the suspect were roughly 15 to 20 yards away from each other as they exchanged gunfire. As he approached the home, the suspect fired at Lockridge with the assault rifle as well as a .45 caliber handgun, the sheriff continued. The deputy returned fire with his service weapon, hitting the suspect several times. However, the suspect was sporting a ballistic vest, so he wasn't completely incapacitated when shot by Lockridge.

As the officer approached the suspect to take him into custody, Levett said the suspect "raised his handgun and deputy Lockridge fired again." At the same time, the suspect apparently shot himself with his firearm, an act later determined to be a suicide, the sheriff told the audience.

"The actions of deputy Lockridge demonstrated extraordinary bravery and willingness to save the lives of others without regard to his own personal safety," Levett continued.

He also said that as other deputies arrived on the scene during the dramatic standoff, Lockridge continued to display a calm demeanor and maintained his composure while also communicating to responding units what he was facing on the ground.

Loudermilk, whose district includes a portion of Sandy Springs, said Lockridge's actions can be described as an act of love, as he was willing to put his life on the line to defend the lives of others.

"We are here honoring somebody who did something incredible, which is something that every person in this room is willing to do everyday," the congressman said. "What we are talking about here today is what's good about being an American. There's a lot of trouble in the world today, but if you look around and see acts like what officer Lockridge did, it shows us what true American exceptionalism is because what he did was an act of love."

As a city that's consistently backed its police department, Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul said Wednesday's commendation for Lockridge is fitting. He also said the city is "glad" to have him among the officers hitting the streets to protect the public.

"Your bravery, your skill, your cool under fire have been saluted today (and) justifiably so," Paul added. "But as I get out and see our entire force, we have a lot of these people in this town wearing blue uniforms and we are proud of you. We can never compensate you for all you do for us."

Images via city of Sandy Springs/office of U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk