Another Officer Loses His Life In Deadly Shooting

On November 6, two Georgia officers found themselves in a battle for their lives in Peach County. According to reports, one of them didn’t make it.

CNN reports that the county coroner identified the fallen officer as 41-year-old Peach County Sheriff Deputy Patrick Sondron.

The source notes that the other deputy involved in the shootout was taken to Navicent Health in Macon.

WGXA mentions that he’s in critical condition. However, CNN notes that it’s unknown whether his condition is improving or worsening at the moment.

[Update: November 8, 10:30 p.m.]

According to WRBL, the second officer has been pronounced dead. The source says that 39-year-old Officer Daryl Smallwood died from his injuries.

Both officers were shot with a rifle by 57-year-old Ralph Elrod. There weren’t any specifics given on the type of rifle used, neither has anyone stated a possible motive for his homicidal decision.

However, authorities have charged him with the two officers’ deaths.

The Telegraph mentions more information about Sondron’s funeral arrangements. It states as follows.

“Funeral arrangements are set for Sondron through McCullough Funeral Home in Warner Robins. Sondron’s funeral will be Thursday at 10 a.m. at the church at 1040 S. Houston Lake Road in Warner Robins. His obituary mentions the SWAT team member was a pilot and drove charter buses in his spare time. The ‘dedicated public servant, respected partner to others in law enforcement.'”

The source mentions that Patrick Sondron was a very “level-headed” guy. As someone who was noted as “kind” and “well-loved,” his fellow officers and community members remember him as a type of “ambassador.”

The source continues as follows.

“He is survived by his wife, Melissa Marie Sondron and children Skylor Jacob Sondron, Ethan Lewis McCoy Ward and Sierra Rose D’Anne Ward, all or Warner Robins.”

It’s never easy losing someone close, whether family or friends. Especially when it comes to Sondron’s occupation, once he puts on that uniform, there’s no guarantee that he’ll return home.

As a protector of the community — an honest one — this incident might leave a distaste in your mouth.

Yet, it’s a true reality of the job — one that people should respect and uphold. There’s actually only a small percentage of officers who are corrupt.

So, when honest ones catch heat like this, it’s disheartening.

[Original Story]

Warner Robins police are also on scene. @WGXAnews pic.twitter.com/WkaAMZDtS3

— Shannon Lilly (@ShannonLillyTV) November 7, 2016

According to CNN, the incident happened in the city of Byron, which is 92 miles south of Atlanta.

Special Agent J.T. Ricketson mentions the officer shootout happened around 5:30 p.m. The emergency call was reported as a dispute between neighbors, as notes WGXA News.

The source mentions the following incident record.

“He [Ricketson] said one person was on a four wheeler and another on a motorcycle when they got into an altercation. Then a third individual confronted them with a weapon. The two on vehicles left the area and then called authorities.”

Once the deputies arrived at the address, the suspect opened fired and hit both officers. According to the source, the other two saw what happened and ended up calling 911 once again in urgency.

https://www.facebook.com/WGXA.TV/posts/1446351228725739

The source mentions that the suspect was also injured during the shootout. He was shot in the abdomen and was taken to the same hospital as the second officer.

However, his condition is unknown. He is in custody.

According to Agent Ricketson, they had help from several police departments. He says that he was personally called by Peach County officers around 6 p.m.

WGXA’s Shannon Lilly captured footage of Agent Ricketson via Facebook Live. You can watch the video below.

https://www.facebook.com/WGXA.TV/posts/1446326128728249

This is an ongoing story, and Inquisitr will continue to update as more information becomes available.

[Featured Image by Peach County Sheriff’s Department]