Riverdale Officer Killed

© John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Police officer dies after gun battle in suburban Atlanta - A police officer in suburban Atlanta was shot twice and killed Thursday by a suspect who was also wounded during a law enforcement operation, authorities said.

Maj. Greg Barney, a 25-year veteran of the Riverdale police department, died following surgery, said Riverdale police chief Todd Spivey.

"We have lost a valuable member of our family," Spivey said.

Riverdale City Manager E. Scott Wood said Barney was struck in the mid-torso and arm.

The shooting happened as Riverdale police officers were assisting Clayton County police with an operation at an apartment complex in Riverdale late Thursday morning, Assistant Chief Michael Reynolds said. Reynolds did not release any details about the police operation or say what led to the shooting. He also did not release the suspect's name or condition.

Riverdale is a city of about 15,000 people just south of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting, said GBI spokesman Scott Dutton. The body of the officer has been taken to the GBI headquarters, where an autopsy will be performed Friday morning, he said.

In 2004, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Barney became the first African-American to serve as Riverdale's police chief when he accepted the interim position after the retirement of Mike Edwards. Barney's stint as chief lasted five months.