Authorities: 2 south Georgia officers shot; shooter at large

Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus is now on lockdown due to an off-campus shooting.

A second officer was badly wounded in Wednesday’s shooting, and a $50,000 reward had been offered for Lembrick’s arrest.

He’s now the center of an intense manhunt charged with murdering Officer Nicholas Smarr and wounding officer Jody Smith.

They started doing building-by-building releases, as authorities cleared the buildings across the campus, the school said on Twitter. A telephone tip led police to the residence. Lembrick’s body was discovered after police entered a house in Americus where the man had barricaded himself.

During the roughly 24 hours after the shootings that Lembrick remained at large, police warned residents to consider him armed and unsafe.

Americus Police Chief Mark Scott says 32-year-old Minguell Lembrick was found with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. “My heart goes out to their families”.

The campus officer reportedly responded as backup.

Smarr and Georgia Southwestern College officer Jody Smith were responding to a domestic disturbance call at about 9:40 a.m. near the campus at Country Club Apartments on S. Lee Street.

The shooting happened near Griffin Bell Golf Course, just south of campus, the university said in an emergency alert. “They’re heroes, in my opinion”. Snyder said that at no time during the situation were Georgia Southwestern students in danger. He said Smith was engaged to be married next year.

GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles confirmed the Facebook page was Lembrick’s.

Scott urged anyone who sees Lembrick to call police but warned, “Do not attempt to approach him”.

UPDATE, 7:05 p.m.

The deadly shooting unfolded that morning when the two officers were responding to a domestic dispute in Americus, Scott said.

GSW’s Facebook page reported that two police officers are injured: One GSW Public Safety officer, and one local law enforcement officer. “We want him arrested so he can face the court”.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the officers, their families and the Georgia Southwestern State University and Americus communities. He is still in critical condition.

Authorities initially gave different spellings for the first names of both Smith and Lembrick, but said Thursday that they had confirmed corrected spellings for each.

After the shooting, Georgia Southwestern State University, a school of 2,500, was placed on lockdown.

Scott later acknowledged that the APD officer, Nicholas Smarr, had died.

Kennedy is wanted on felony warrants, and he’s armed and risky, Mark said.

Officers from multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, are participating in the search for the suspect.