ATLANTA — A Clayton County Police officer is in critical condition after she was shot twice in the line of duty Wednesday night.
Officer Demika Lloyd was shot by 25-year-old Aiyanah Pryor while responding to a call in Clayton County, according to the Clayton County Police Department. However, Pryor's family claims she was experiencing a mental health crisis.
Shortly after, Pryor was also injured in a shooting in Atlanta by an APD officer, authorities said. Here is how the night unfolded.
Initial call
The initial call began Wednesday night at a home in Clayton County on Newbury Drive sometime after 9:30 p.m. Police said they got three different calls about Pryor. They believed her to be suicidal.
Pryor's family sent 11Alive security camera video showing officers responding to the home three separate times.
Pryor's sister-in-law Lashonda Martin said the first time, a male officer came out around 9:48 p.m., but they didn’t feel he understood the gravity of the situation.
“When someone calls you to their place of residence, and says, ‘Hey, my family member isn’t right,’ it should not be dismissed,” LaShonda said.
The family said Clayton County Officer Demika Lloyd and an ambulance responded the second time, but video shows the ambulance leaving around 10:50 p.m. -- after the family said Pryor refused to get inside.
Minutes later, the family said Lloyd then returned by herself after the third 911 call. The video timestamped at 11:05 p.m. shows the officer rushing Pryor in a yard as Pryor holds something in her hand. Just moments later, Lloyd was shot.
Atlanta incident
After officer Lloyd was shot, investigators said Pryor left in her SUV on I-75 N and drove into the city limits of Atlanta.
Police in surrounding jurisdictions were notified of the situation and that's when APD officers spotted the vehicle in southwest Atlanta.
APD officers confronted the woman off Polar Rock Road. They demanded she show her hands, but as an officer approached, authorities said Pryor fired at the officers. Police returned fire and struck her, they said.
"Upon approaching the car, officers gave Pryor verbal commands, including show me your hands," the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a release. "Pryor ignored officers’ commands and pulled a handgun, firing at officers. Officers returned fire, hitting Pryor."
No officers in Atlanta were injured in the shootout, however, the officer in Clayton County, Lloyd, was taken to Grady Hospital and had to undergo surgery. Pryor was taken to Atlanta Medical Center after she was shot. She remains in critical condition.
Officer Lloyd
Officer Lloyd has been with the Clayton County Police Department for about a year and a half, the police department said. Clayton County Police said Lloyd typically works the night shift.
Records show she had two hours of suicide prevention training this year.
A LinkedIn profile that appears to be hers indicates she also served in the Army National Guard and as a Georgia Department of Corrections officers for about four years.
Officer Lloyd remains in the hospital Thursday night, where she is still in critical condition.
Ronnie Perkins, a friend and former colleague, described her as a hard worker, caring person, and loving mom to her daughter.
"Everybody that she worked with, we’re praying for her, that she would make a full recovery. You know, I plan on going to see her tomorrow and everything.
Mental health crisis
Pryor's family told 11Alive's Dawn White that they believe she was going through a mental health crisis when they called 911 seeking help Wednesday night.
Marcus Martin, Pryor's brother, said she had just started a new medication for anxiety and depression.
“My mom told me she had just started psychiatry, so they put her on some kind of medicine," Marcus Martin said.
LaShonda Martin, Pryor's sister-in-law, believes the police did not take the mental health crisis seriously.
“The story comes out and it's like, 'Oh, Aiyanah just went crazy. Start shooting at the cops.' Like, no, that's not how it happened," LaShonda Martin said.
Clayton County Police said they have a social worker to respond to mental health calls but the family said the social worker was never sent when they called 911 three different times.
"If you went about the situation in the right way, this never would have happened," Marcus Martin said.
11Alive reached out to Clayton County Police to ask about the family's concerns regarding a mental health expert's response but they had "no comment" at this time.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is still investigating what happened.
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