There's no war on cops? Officer injured, suspect in critical condition after standoff | Law Enforcement Today

CLAYTON COUNTY, GA - Authorities confirmed that an officer and armed suspect were rushed to the hospital after a shootout during a SWAT standoff in the evening hours on Tuesday, February 25th. 

According to FOX5, the incident began at a home on the 300 block of Arrowhead Boulevard on the other side of Jonesboro. After an initial shooting, police were able to track the suspect to a home on the 700 block of Summerchase Drive in Jonesboro. Lt. Ricky Porter said in a statement, "Officers originally went to the first scene where there was a shooting that had occurred. After they had gathered information on that scene, they were able to track that vehicle back to this location."

When officers arrived at the home, authorities said that the suspect, later identified as Daniel Neal, refused to leave or follow any of the officers' commands, leading to a SWAT response. The standoff eventually escalated to the point where SWAT officers entered the home, which led to the "exchange of gunfire."

A member of the Clayton County Police's Gang Enforcement Unit, later identified as Officer Kenyon Ford, was hit in the leg by a bullet while outside the home. He was rushed to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. He is expected to survive. A GoFundMe account has been set up to help with Officer Ford's recovery. Neal was shot multiple times and remains in the hospital on critical condition.

After the shooting, officers remained on scene for hours collecting evidence. For most of the day on Wednesday, February 26th, Clayton County police and GBI agents were going in and out of the home on Summerchase Drive.

Porter said in a statement, "At this point, our detectives are executing a search warrant inside the home to gather evidence. Our command staff is following up with our officer in the hospital to make sure he's okay and getting the support he needs." According to WSBTV, Neal has a criminal history and has now been accused of shooting a man in the stomach after being tracked to the home on Summerchase Drive.

A January 2024 warrant reportedly states that Neal shot a gun into a home, striking a woman in the back of the neck. The shot exited through the front of her face. Court records from Fulton County show that Neal was given a $70,000 bond on charges of aggravated assault, child cruelty, and more.

In July 2024, Neal was arrested after a traffic stop in Clayton County. He was charged with drug and gun possession and given a $21,000 bond a few weeks later. Neighbors shared the moments they heard the gunshots in a usually quiet community on Tuesday evening.

Coata Malone said, "We just hear pop, pop, pop, pop ... about five or six shots coming from inside the house." Phyllis Holmes said, "I remember seeing a young man going into the house and then afterward her comes the police." Malone added, "They are like, 'Your girlfriend is out here. We know you want to meet your unborn baby who is supposed to be out here in June. Come out here, you know your mom is worried about you.'"

Malone said police surrounded the house with guns for hours, working to talk him out peacefully. He knew the family. Malone said, "We had to help push their car out. My brother has helped find the dog and return it to them. We have known that family for a couple of years now." Holmes said, "I was like, 'My goodness.' I saw the little guy. I felt hurt but then again you shot someone, so it was mixed feelings."

Lt. Porter said that there is still a lot to learn about the standoff, but that the metro Atlanta law enforcement needs to communicate better with one another to help get repeat offenders off the streets. He said, "We have to find a better way to communicate among each other between the courts and the jails and the bonding agencies, so we can help keep these citizens from being revictimized or allow new citizens to become victims of repeat offenders."