‘He’s got a gun!’ Customers, bulletproof vest saved life of Morrow officer shot in the line of duty

MORROW, Ga. — Police say an officer’s bulletproof vest wasn’t the only thing that saved him when he was shot in the line of duty.

Morrow police say customers at the Las Trojas Cantina restaurant warned Officer Myron Bell that a man he was approaching had a gun.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Keon Christian, 26, used that gun to shoot Bell that night.

Fortunately, Bell’s bulletproof vest deflected the bullet.

Major Greg Tatroe told Channel 2′s Tom Jones that Bell is recovering from the shooting.

“He’s bruised. He’s sore,” he said.

Tatroe used another vest to show Jones where the bullet hit Bell.

“The actual round that struck Officer Bell last night hit him right about there,” he said, pointing to the lower abdomen area. “Hit him right above the vest.”

The shooting happened around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday.

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Bell responded to a fight call and noticed it had spilled into the parking lot when he got to the scene.

Police say Bell saw Christian, who he believed was involved in the fight.

“He exits his vehicle with his Taser,” Tatroe said.

But that’s when police say the crowd screamed at Bell.

“A couple of people in the crowd yelled, ‘No, he’s got a gun. He’s got a gun.’ So Bell transitions from Taser to weapon,” Tatroe said.

But a witness said before Bell could respond, Christian opened fire on him.

“The guy turned around pulled his firearm out and shot three times, it could’ve been four,” Tatroe said.

Bell was hit, but the bullet was deflected by his bulletproof vest.

“A couple of inches down and it would have been a tragic outcome more than likely,” Tatroe said.

Bell then ran after the gunman until another officer arrived and shot Christian.

Tatroe told Jones that the vests are lifesavers. But the crowd was too.

“In this case, yes,” Tatroe said.

Doctors kept Bell in the hospital for observation overnight. He’s only been with the department for around 9 months and is described as a devoted, hard-working employee.

Christian is stable and faces aggravated assault on a peace officer and criminal attempt to commit murder.

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