NEWS

Valdosta police ambush not related to Dallas shooting

Karl Etters
Democrat staff writer

Georgia investigators say the shooting ambush of a Valdosta police officer by a man who called 911 was unrelated to Thursday night's killing of five Dallas police officers.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, VPD officer Randall Hancock was dispatched to Three Oaks Apartments in Valdosta at 7:54 a.m. after a vehicle break-in and property damage were reported.

Stephen Paul Beck, 22, reported his car had been broken into and he needed police assistance. After the shooting, investigators determined Beck was the 911 caller.

Tallahassee Police say a purse-snatching at the Southwood Publix on Blair Stone Road is to blame for the heightened state of awareness at a number of schools in the area.

Hancock came under fire when he got out of his patrol vehicle. He was shot twice in his bullet-proof vest and once in the abdomen. He returned fire, hitting Beck. He was transported to the hospital, where he is in serious condition. Hancock is in stable condition.

GBI is still unsure of the motive for the shooting but said in a news release it was unrelated to the Dallas shootings.

Xavier Johnson, 25, was the lone shooter in an ambush of Dallas officers escorting a peaceful protest through the streets Thursday night. Seven other officers were injured in the shooting.

Agents are still looking for a 2009 silver Nissan Sentra, Georgia Tag PVW 814, belonging to Beck. Anyone with information about the location of the vehicle is asked to call the Valdosta Police Department at 229-293-3145 or the Thomasville GBI Regional Office at 229-225-4090.

Contact Karl Etters at ketters@tallahassee.com or @KarlEtters on Twitter.