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What we know about the shooting that killed a DeKalb police officer and critically injured a K9

It started as a traffic stop.

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. -- A DeKalb County police officer was killed in the line of duty on Dec. 13 after a traffic stop led to gunfire. A K9 officer from the department was also shot in a crime that has metro Atlanta shaken. 

Condolences are coming in from around the country and as the GBI investigation is underway, this is what we know about the shooting, the officers and the suspect. 

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE OFFICER 

DeKalb County identified the fallen as Officer Edgar Isidro Flores.

The 24-year-old was hired by the police department on May 8, 2017, and graduated from the police academy on Nov. 4, 2017.

Credit: DeKalb County Police Department
DeKalb County Police Officer Edgar Isidro Flores was fatally shot on Thursday, Dec. 13, at approximately 5 p.m., near the intersection of Candler and Tilson Roads.

Flores was going to turn 25 years old this weekend, said DeKalb County Police Chief James Conroy who described him as a man with a bright future ahead of him.

WHAT HAPPENED AND WHERE 

It was around 5 p.m. Dec. 13. When an officer conducted a traffic stop on Candler Road. According to officials, the stop began as a "drive-out tag violation." When Flores approached the driver, he took off on foot and the officer followed him into a parking lot of a Piggly Wiggly grocery store. 

“During that foot pursuit, the suspect produced a handgun and shot the officer. The officer was transported to an area hospital where he subsequently died of the injuries from the shooting,” DeKalb County Police Department Chief James Conroy said in a somber press conference. 

More officers responded to the Candler-McAfee neighborhood to look for the suspect. One was a K9 team. That K9 was shot and taken to the hospital.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE K9 

A K9 was credited with finding the suspect hiding in a pile of tires behind a business. He was identified by the GBI as Indi, a 7-year-old Belgian Malinois who has been in service for 5 years.

“A police K-9 was able to establish a track and track the officer. The police K9, the K9 officer and the cover team were able to track behind one of the businesses here on Candler Rd. They found the suspect hiding behind one of the businesses. The suspect had a handgun, shot the police K9, Conroy said. 

Indi was taken to a veterinarian in critical condition. On Friday, Dekalb County officials said the K9 will likely lose an eye. 

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE SUSPECT 

After shooting the K9, Conroy said SWAT officers shot the suspect several times. He was taken the hospital where he died. 

The GBI identified the suspect as 33-year-old Brandon Jermaine Taylor, of Decatur, Ga.

A short obituary posted online says Taylor was born in Sumter, South Carolina. 

WHAT’S NEXT 

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is the lead agency on the case. They’re investigating what happened and they’re also conducting autopsies on the officer and the suspect. 

As the investigation goes on, we expect to learn the  identities of everyone involved and we expect to get a clearer picture of what happened. 


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