Sept. 30 (UPI) — Authorities in Georgia said they arrested a man suspected of shooting two officers, killing a detective, before fleeing and prompting a manhunt Friday.
Police said Brandon Spangler, 31, pulled out a handgun and opened fire on Cedartown, Ga., officer David Goodrich and detective Kristen Hearne. The officers were responding to a report of a suspicious vehicle around 6 a.m. when Spangler and 22-year-old Samantha Roof approached them from nearby woods, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vernon Keenan said.
Goodrich was shot in his bulletproof vest and was treated for injuries. Hearne died from her injuries.
“It was more or less an ambush,” Polk County police Chief Kenny Dodd said at a news conference. “[Spangler] drew the gun before they knew what happened.”
Roof and Spangler ran from the scene after the shooting, and a short time later, police captured Roof. Police captured Spangler around 2:45 p.m. when he emerged from the woods naked and surrendered.
Spangler had warrants for his arrest for felony probation violation. He served more than a year in prison for methamphetamine possession and a weapons charge, and was released in August 2016.
Hearne’s death is the first time an officer has died in the line of duty in the Polk County Police Department’s 60-year history. The 29-year-old served on the department for five years and is survived by her husband, an officer in Aragon, Ga., and a 3-year-old daughter.
“Words can’t express the sorrow, and the hurt that we feel right now as a agency, and our heart goes out to the family,” Dodd said. “Kristen was the type of officer who lit up any room that she was in. You always knew when she was present.”
Our hearts & prayers go out to the family & friends of Polk County Officer Kristin Hearne, killed in the line of duty.
