Police Seek Public's Help in Finding Cop Shooter

The Atlanta Police Department is reaching out to the public in its ongoing investigation of the Nov. 9 shooting of Officer Christopher L. Smith.

Smith was shot in the face and leg while working an off-duty security patrol at the Edgewood Court Apartments in the Edgewood neighborhood.

Police describe the 10 p.m. shooting at 1572 Hardee St. NE as an ambush with a shotgun.

In a news conference Tuesday at department headquarters, Capt. Paul Guerrucci, who heads the Atlanta Police Department's homicide unit, said Crime Stoppers Atlanta is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. (The homicide unit investigates all police shootings)

Smith, who was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, was treated and later released. He is still recovering from his injuries.

The news conference comes a day before Atlanta City Councilwoman Natalyn Archibong is scheduled to hold a conference of her own at the Edgewood Court Apartments, which has long been a source of crime-related complaints, including robberies and a murder.

And on Saturday, Nov. 16, Neighborhood Planning Unit-O, which includes the Edgewood, Kirkwood Villages of East Lake and East Lake neighborhoods, is holding a 2 p.m. rally at Coan Park in support of Smith.

"The rally will also focus on the need of immediate measures to protect the schools, communities and police officers of South East Atlanta from the increase of violent crime in our neighborhoods," NPU-O chairman Earl Williamson said in a statement.

"Now is the time for the residents of SE Atlanta to stand together and communicate to our elected officials that public safety is critical to the safety and future of our community and those that serve and protect it."

The shooting is the second attack on an APD officer in as many months in an East Atlanta Patch community. On Oct. 30, police arrested 27-year-old Derrick Lamar Byron and charged him with aggravated assault for allegedly firing at officers in the Old Fourth Ward. The Decatur man was out on parole from a 20-year-sentence for voluntary manslaughter.

Anyone with information is urged to call 911 or Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404.577.TIPS (8477).