UPDATED: 12:33 a.m. February 02, 2008
Officers wounded after shooting at each other in Gwinnett
By ANDRIA SIMMONS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/01/08
Two off-duty police officers, one from Duluth and the other from Fulton County, wounded each other during an exchange of gunfire Friday afternoon in a quiet north Gwinnett County suburb.
Fulton officer Paul Phillips, 37, and Duluth officer Jay Daily, 42, were recovering from non-life-threatening injuries Friday evening at Gwinnett Medical Center, said Cpl. Illana Spellman, spokeswoman for the Gwinnett County Police Department.
Kimberly Smith / AJC
Chaos seemed to reign on Level Creek Road in Sugar Hill on Friday after off-duty police officers from Fulton County and Duluth were wounded after exchanging gunfire.
RELATED LINKS:
• Photos
• More Gwinnett news
Daily, a member of the Duluth force for five years, was charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.
"It's just baffling to us why it occurred," Duluth Police Chief Randy Belcher said. "It's an embarrassment to this agency."
The gunbattle erupted about 1 p.m. on a two-lane road in Sugar Hill after a resident flagged down Phillips, a department veteran of at least 10 years who was wearing his uniform and driving a marked police car down Level Creek Road to his home, Gwinnett police said.
Phillips got out of his car and was immediately confronted by a man standing next to a stopped vehicle, police said. The man started shooting at Phillips, hitting him once, and Phillips returned fire, Gwinnett police reported.
Police later learned the other man was Daily, an off-duty Duluth police officer dressed in civilian clothes.
Belcher said Daily had been a good officer who recently received several commendations from the public. Other officers saw Daily in court Friday morning and detected no problems, Belcher said. Daily is on paid suspension for now, Belcher said.
Kathy Santry said she was driving to work from her home nearby when she saw a woman in a vehicle lean out the window and scream for help. She stopped, as did one other motorist.
Santry said when she walked up to the woman's car, she noticed the driver's side window was shattered and the woman had blood on her hands.
Santry immediately got on the phone with 911. She was talking with a dispatcher when the Fulton officer drove by, so she flagged him down. Moments after the Fulton officer got out of his car, he drew his weapon and started shouting at a man who was standing behind Santry on the sidewalk, she said.
Santry said she ran for cover as gunshots started flying, and when she looked up again both officers were lying wounded on the ground.
Before long, officers shut down the road and patrol cars clogged the narrow street as crime scene technicians combed the area for clues.
Fulton County, Duluth and the Gwinnett County Police Department will each lend a hand in the investigation, Spellman said.
The shooting happened about a mile from North Gwinnett High School but had no immediate effect on the school, district spokeswoman Sloan Roach said.
The violence unnerved many residents who moved to Sugar Hill to enjoy suburban tranquility.
Anthony Reed said his aunt, Mildred Reed, 78, witnessed the event unfolding from her kitchen window.
Anthony Reed said his aunt reported seeing a car come down Level Creek Road, turn around in the parking lot of Liberty Baptist Church, go back in the opposite direction, run off the road and strike a fire hydrant.
Anthony Reed said a man got out of the car and shooting began a few minutes later.
"The city has come to the country," he said.
This is the second time in less than a month that police officers have been shot in Sugar Hill.
Two Gwinnett County police officers were wounded Jan. 3 while serving warrants at a house in Suwanee.
Police said William "Bill" Caram, 37, barricaded himself inside the house for 14 hours before police found him dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an upstairs closet.
Both those officers are recovering from their wounds.
Staff writers Eileen Drennen, Rebecca McCarthy and Ken Sugiura contributed to this article.
Officers wounded after shooting at each other in Gwinnett
By ANDRIA SIMMONS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/01/08
Two off-duty police officers, one from Duluth and the other from Fulton County, wounded each other during an exchange of gunfire Friday afternoon in a quiet north Gwinnett County suburb.
Fulton officer Paul Phillips, 37, and Duluth officer Jay Daily, 42, were recovering from non-life-threatening injuries Friday evening at Gwinnett Medical Center, said Cpl. Illana Spellman, spokeswoman for the Gwinnett County Police Department.
Kimberly Smith / AJC
Chaos seemed to reign on Level Creek Road in Sugar Hill on Friday after off-duty police officers from Fulton County and Duluth were wounded after exchanging gunfire.
RELATED LINKS:
• Photos
• More Gwinnett news
Daily, a member of the Duluth force for five years, was charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.
"It's just baffling to us why it occurred," Duluth Police Chief Randy Belcher said. "It's an embarrassment to this agency."
The gunbattle erupted about 1 p.m. on a two-lane road in Sugar Hill after a resident flagged down Phillips, a department veteran of at least 10 years who was wearing his uniform and driving a marked police car down Level Creek Road to his home, Gwinnett police said.
Phillips got out of his car and was immediately confronted by a man standing next to a stopped vehicle, police said. The man started shooting at Phillips, hitting him once, and Phillips returned fire, Gwinnett police reported.
Police later learned the other man was Daily, an off-duty Duluth police officer dressed in civilian clothes.
Belcher said Daily had been a good officer who recently received several commendations from the public. Other officers saw Daily in court Friday morning and detected no problems, Belcher said. Daily is on paid suspension for now, Belcher said.
Kathy Santry said she was driving to work from her home nearby when she saw a woman in a vehicle lean out the window and scream for help. She stopped, as did one other motorist.
Santry said when she walked up to the woman's car, she noticed the driver's side window was shattered and the woman had blood on her hands.
Santry immediately got on the phone with 911. She was talking with a dispatcher when the Fulton officer drove by, so she flagged him down. Moments after the Fulton officer got out of his car, he drew his weapon and started shouting at a man who was standing behind Santry on the sidewalk, she said.
Santry said she ran for cover as gunshots started flying, and when she looked up again both officers were lying wounded on the ground.
Before long, officers shut down the road and patrol cars clogged the narrow street as crime scene technicians combed the area for clues.
Fulton County, Duluth and the Gwinnett County Police Department will each lend a hand in the investigation, Spellman said.
The shooting happened about a mile from North Gwinnett High School but had no immediate effect on the school, district spokeswoman Sloan Roach said.
The violence unnerved many residents who moved to Sugar Hill to enjoy suburban tranquility.
Anthony Reed said his aunt, Mildred Reed, 78, witnessed the event unfolding from her kitchen window.
Anthony Reed said his aunt reported seeing a car come down Level Creek Road, turn around in the parking lot of Liberty Baptist Church, go back in the opposite direction, run off the road and strike a fire hydrant.
Anthony Reed said a man got out of the car and shooting began a few minutes later.
"The city has come to the country," he said.
This is the second time in less than a month that police officers have been shot in Sugar Hill.
Two Gwinnett County police officers were wounded Jan. 3 while serving warrants at a house in Suwanee.
Police said William "Bill" Caram, 37, barricaded himself inside the house for 14 hours before police found him dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an upstairs closet.
Both those officers are recovering from their wounds.
Staff writers Eileen Drennen, Rebecca McCarthy and Ken Sugiura contributed to this article.
