The man who allegedly shot and killed a rookie Georgia cop during his first day on-duty killed him in retaliation for the officer arresting his friend hours earlier.
Damien 'Luke' Anthony Ferguson, 43, was arrested Sunday for killing Dylan Harrison, 26, said the FBI.
The Alamo Police Department says that earlier that day, Harrison had arrested Ferguson's friend during a traffic stop.
The rookie cop, who was on his first part-time shift with the agency on Friday evening, had stopped the unnamed suspect for a traffic violation in the parking lot of the Circle K, just across the street from the police station, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
When Harrison asked the man for his identification, he refused to comply, according to GBI Special Agent in Charge Lindsey Wilkes. After a verbal argument erupted, the man ended up pushing the rookie officer.
Harrison then used his taser against on the suspect, who he said did not comply when he attempted to place him under arrest.
The suspect was eventually arrested and booked at Wheeler County Jail.
When Ferguson learned what had happened to his friend, he decided to murder the officer in revenge for arresting 'a known associate' of his, authorities said.
Ferguson, 43, was arrested Sunday for killing Dylan Harrison, 26, who is pictured with his wife, pictured left and 6-month-old daughter, center
Police say Ferguson, pictured, killed Harrison after the officer tasered and arrested a 'known associate' of his, according to law enforcement
Ferguson was considered armed and dangerous at the time of his arrest
'The man arrested is a known associate of Damien Ferguson. It is believed that the ambush-style attack on Officer Harrison was retaliation for the incident and arrest of the man on Friday night at the Circle K,' Special Agent Wilkes said in a statement Sunday.
The Georgia Department of Public Safety said Sunday that Ferguson was arrested less than a mile from where an officer was killed Saturday.
He was taken down 'without incident' by the State of Georgia's SWAT team after a brief search.
He's suspected of fatally shooting a police officer, though a motive has not been shared
Ferguson, who was considered armed and dangerous, was the subject of a manhunt after Officer Harrison early Saturday morning.
He was eventually arrested at his home in Alamo and was charged with murder, aggravated stalking charges which were in relation to a previous domestic incident.
The alleged cop killer is currently being held at the Laurens County Jail in Dublin, Georgia, GBI spokeswoman Natalie Ammons said at a Sunday evening news conference after his arrest.
Harrison was fatally shot outside of the department's police station at around 1 am. The 26-year-old from Dudley leaves behind a wife and a 6-month-old daughter.
The cop had just started his first shift ever for the Alamo Police Department part-time after beginning his career in law enforcement back in 2018 as a full-time Oconee Drug Task Force Agent, according to Fox 13.
Pictured: Alamo Police Officer Dylan Harrison was fatally shot outside of the department's police station at around 1 am
Special Agent Wilkes said law enforcement was offering a reward of $17,500 for information leading to Ferguson's arrest prior to his arrest.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp offered a statement on the tragedy in a tweet Saturday afternoon.
'Early this morning, one of our law enforcement officials in Middle Georgia was killed in the line of duty,' Kemp wrote on Twitter.
'Our thoughts and prayers are with this officer’s family, friends, and colleagues at the Alamo Police Department. May God continue to be with all who protect and serve.'
The sheriff of nearby Telfair County, Sim Davidson, expressed similar condolences.
'Our sincerest thoughts, prayers, and condolences to the family, friends and co-workers of Officer Dylan Harrison who was killed in the line of duty last night in Alamo,' Sheriff Davidson wrote in a Facebook post.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp offered a statement on the tragedy in a tweet Saturday afternoon
'We are sincerely grateful for his service.'
Harrison was the first Alamo police officer to be killed in the line of duty, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, which reports on deaths in law enforcement.
However, Alamo Police Officer Arturo Villegas died from COVID-19 earlier this year, one of nearly two dozen Georgia police officers to have died from coronavirus, Fox 13 reports.
This year alone, at least five Georgia police officers have been killed in the line of duty, while seven Georgia officers were killed in the line of duty last year, according to the Officer Down webpage.
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