Police Officer Shot Dead While Serving Search Warrant in Atlanta Suburbs

Police Officer Shot Dead While Serving Search Warrant in Atlanta Suburbs

An Atlanta area police officer has died after serving a search warrant in a suburb outside of the city on Thursday.

According to a statement from the Clayton County Police Department, Major Greg Barney was killed "in the line of duty while assisting with the service of a narcotics search warrant."

Barney was actually an employee of the Riverdale police, but was helping Clayton County PD serve a no-knock warrant when the intended target of the search fled the scene, local news channel WSBTV reports.

Officers reportedly chased the suspect, who then shot and hit Barney, who was not wearing a bulletproof vest. According to WSBTV, officers shot back at the suspect and he is currently in critical condition at Atlanta Medical Center.

We would like to express our condolences to the family of Major Greg Barney and The City of Riverdale Police Department....

Posted by Clayton County Police Department on Thursday, February 11, 2016



"I think it's a difficult time for everybody. You know, law enforcement, the officer's family, the community. Anytime something like this happened, it's just sad," Clayton County Police Chief Michael Register told the network.