A young police officer was shot and killed while working his very first shift as a part-time officer, leaving behind a wife and a six month old baby son.
Dylan Harrison, 26, was working his first shift as a police officer on October 9th when he was shot and killed outside the police station at around 1 a.m., according to a statement from Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Natalie Ammons.
“Officer Harrison was a part-time Alamo police officer working his first shift with the department last night,” Ammons said.
Harrison, a new officer with the Alamo Police Department, had previously worked as an emergency dispatcher, a firefighter, and a campus officer at Middle Georgia State University, as well as working for the Oconee Drug Task Force in 2018. According to his mother-in-law, Lisa Milks, he had dedicated his life to public service.
“He was super nice to everybody, give you the shirt off his back no matter what. He was always professional,” Milks told WXIA-TV.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp also spoke out about Harrison’s death.
“Early this morning, one of our law enforcement officials in Middle Georgia was killed in the line of duty,” Kemp said on Saturday. “Our thoughts and prayers are with this officer’s family, friends, and colleagues at the Alamo Police Department. May God continue to be with all who protect and serve.”
At the time the murder was first reported, not many details were released regarding the events leading up to Harrison’s death. Now, a new report indicates that it was much more than a random shooting.
Prior to the shooting, the young officer made an arrest. ABC 22 reports:
“On Friday afternoon, Harrison approached a driver in the parking lot of the Circle K convenience store across from the police department after he observed a traffic violation, authorities said. The driver refused to identify himself and the interaction escalated when the man pushed Harrison. Harrison used his Taser, arrested the man and took him to jail, authorities said.”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation believes that the two incidents are connected.
“It is believed that the ambush-style attack on Officer Harrison was retaliation for the incident and arrest of the man,” the bureau said in a statement.
Damien Anthony Ferguson, 43, who goes by the name “Luke Ferguson,” has since been arrested for the murder of the young officer.
UPDATE: Damien Ferguson, who has been named a suspect in the shooting death of Alamo, Georgia police officer Dylan Harrison, is in custody, according to the GBI. FULL STORY >>> https://t.co/M3CJdkDpSl pic.twitter.com/AUhZTvjLqv
— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) October 10, 2021
Relatives of Ferguson have also been arrested relating to the crime. According to an update posted to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s official website:
“On Tuesday, October 12, 2021, Charlotte Ferguson, age 45, of Alamo, GA, was arrested and charged with Hindering the Apprehension or Punishment of a Criminal. Charlotte Ferguson is the sister of Damien Anthony Ferguson, aka Luke Ferguson.
On Wednesday, October 13, 2021, Damien Ferguson was also charged with Bias Motivated Intimidation of First Responders, related to the shooting death of Officer Dylan Harrison. Asia Kinsey, age 24, of Alamo, GA, was also arrested and charged with Terroristic Threats and Acts. Kinsey’s arrest is for a threatening social media post she made on October 9 relating to this investigation.”