SAVANNAH, Georgia—A robbery suspect fatally shot a police officer in the Georgia port city of Savannah and wounded the officer’s colleague before fleeing and being fatally shot by another officer during an ensuing search, authorities said on May 12.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said 50-year-old Savannah Police Sgt. Kelvin Ansari and 49-year-old robbery suspect Edward Fuller III were pronounced dead at a hospital where both were taken Saturday evening after being shot.
“Today, our city mourns as one of our Savannah Police officers was wounded and another paid the ultimate sacrifice,” said Mayor Eddie DeLoach at a press conference. “Our community owes these men and all those who wear the badge a debt of gratitude.”
Fuller then ran and police converged on a nearby area, seeking the suspect near a residence, according to authorities.
When Fuller was spotted emerging from a backyard shed, he was pointing a handgun at officers and was shot by one of the officers, according to the bureau statement. The handgun was recovered and determined to have been stolen, the statement added.
Thomas, 40, was treated and released at the same hospital where the two others were taken.
A Savannah Police Department statement said Ansari joined the department in 2008. He worked in various units including patrolling, public housing enforcement, and lately as a precinct supervisor. It said Ansari also had served 21 years previously in the U.S. Army.
“Last night we lost a great man,” Police Chief Roy Minter said. “We lost a man who spent a substantial portion of his life protecting the country and protecting the community ... we lost a leader.”
Savannah’s police chief said the shooting investigation had been turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
The GBI said on Twitter that they had been requested to investigate an officer involved shooting.
The GBI also wrote that the suspect had died and that more information would be released following the Savannah Police Department’s press conference.