MASS TRAGEDY

Police Officer, Two Women Gunned Down in Georgia

A 12-year-old boy was also shot in the face during the episode, but despite his injuries was able to help authorities locate the house where the suspect was hiding.

Two women were shot and killed in Clayton County, Atlanta, when an alleged domestic violence episode broke out on Tuesday evening, investigators said. A police officer and a suspect were also both killed during a subsequent “exchange of gunfire” when authorities arrived at the scene. A 12-year-old boy was also shot in the face, but despite his injuries was able to help authorities locate the house where the suspect was hiding with a handgun. The child is in critical but stable condition. Another officer shot in the hand is expected to recover.

Authorities who responded to multiple 911 calls for domestic violence and shots fired found themselves under gunfire as they attempted to help the 12-year-old and one of the female victims. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation identified the officer killed in the line of duty as Henry Laxson. Clayton County Police Chief Kevin Roberts called the night’s events “emotional,” adding, “These men and women do an honorable job every day. It’s unfortunate that we have to make these reports time and time again.”