A rookie Georgia police officer who was shot in the head during a motel shootout with a suspect on Tuesday night is "awake, alert and in good spirits" as he awaits surgery at a hospital, authorities said Wednesday.
Covington Police Officer Rashad Rivers was scheduled to undergo surgery on his jaw Thursday to repair the damage from the gunshot wound, the Covington Police Department said. The officer was struck near his eye, and the bullet lodged in his jaw, law enforcement sources told FOX5 Atlanta.
"We ask that you continue to keep Officer Rivers, his family, our city family and all public safety personnel who were involved in your prayers as the healing process begins," the department wrote on Facebook.
Rivers had responded to the OYO Hotel on Alcovy Road in Covington around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday for a reported fight between a couple.
When the officer arrived, he saw a man, later identified as 23-year-old Treyvorius Stodghill, with a gun inside a room, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said.
Stodghill exchanged gunfire with the officer and the officer was shot, according to the agency.
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As the suspect pointed a gun at the downed officer, a second officer returned fire, killing Stodghill, investigators said.
The GBI is continuing to investigate the shooting.
Rivers joined the force in January after graduating from the police academy and earning the "Leadership Award" for his class, officials said.
