Second Georgia police officer dies following cop shooting

UPDATE:

A second Georgia police officer has died a day after being shot alongside a fellow officer while responding to a domestic dispute report.

Charles Patterson, president of Georgia Southwestern State University, said in a statement Thursday evening that campus police Officer Jody Smith died from his injuries. Smith had been airlifted to a hospital after the shootings Wednesday in Americus, about 130 miles south of Atlanta.

EARLIER:

The man accused of shooting two Georgia police officers on Wednesday, killing one, has died, authorities confirmed one day after the fatal shooting near Georgia Southwestern State University.

Police on Thursday moved into the house where they believed Minguell Lembrick, 32, was barricaded in Americus, Georgia. They found Lembrick dead of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Americus Police Chief Mark Scott said officers heard what sounded like a gunshot while setting up a perimeter around the home where a 911 caller said Lembrick was hiding. They continued  to set up the perimeter and tried for about an hour to contact Lembrick.

Police identified Lembrick as the suspected shooter who fired shots at officers Wednesday morning at an apartment complex in Americus. The shooting led to an hourslong lock down at the nearby campus of Georgia Southwestern State University.

>> Related: Officer killed, 1 injured in shooting near college campus in Georgia; suspect at large

Investigators said Officer Nicholas Smarr of the Americus Police Department and Georgia Southwestern Police Officer Jody Smith were responding to a domestic disturbance call when Lembrick shot the men.

Smarr died shortly afterwards. Smith was airlifted to a Macon hospital.

"It's a tragedy beyond words," Scott said. "It's one of our family members has been taken from us."

Scott had a hard time containing his emotions as he talked about the crime and the search for Lembrick.

Lembrick was already wanted on kidnapping charges, but officers didn't know he would be at the domestic disturbance call.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

About the Author