DeKalb officer killed in line of duty was engaged, about to celebrate birthday

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The DeKalb County police officer who died Thursday night in the line of duty has been identified as 24-year-old Edgar Isidro Flores.

DeKalb County Police Chief James Conroy told Channel 2 Action News that Flores was shot near the intersection of Candler and Tilson roads.

Flores had been with the department just a year and a half. He was engaged and would have celebrated his 25th birthday next week.

"Tonight, a DeKalb County police officer died in the line of duty, serving the citizens of DeKalb County," Conroy said at a news conference Thursday night.

A police K-9, identified as 7-year-old Indi, was also shot and was stable Friday morning.

Indi has five years of service.

Conroy said the shooting followed a traffic stop. He said the suspect, identified as Brandon Taylor, 33, of Decatur, tried to run.

"It was like he knew, you know what I'm saying? Like, 'I'm fixing to go to jail' or something," witness Demetrice White told Channel 2's Tom Jones.

Flores chased Taylor into the parking lot of a business on Candler Road, where Taylor opened fire, hitting Flores multiple times, before taking off.

"We heard gunshots, like five or six gunshots and when we opened the door, we saw his feet," witness Sydney Brown said. "I didn't even sleep last night. I kept seeing the officer down."

SWAT and K-9 officers tracked down Taylor hiding behind a pile of tires down the street.

Taylor then shot Indi, prompting three officers to shoot Taylor, Conroy said.

"I am very proud of the men and women of the police department. They responded to the scene, were able to track the suspect, they did their job," Conroy told Channel 2 Action News.

DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond said action has to be taken to get guns out of the hands of criminals.

"The Second Amendment was not designed to protect criminals and people who seek to do wrong," Thurmond said.

He says the county is doing everything it can to hold up the officer's family.

[PHOTOS: Officer killed in line of duty after traffic stop]

Conroy said Flores was hired by the Police Department on May 8, 2017. Flores graduated from the police academy on Nov. 4, 2017.

Flores was the fifth Georgia officer killed in the line of duty this year, according to Channel 2's investigative partners at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and AJC.com.

Flores graduated magna cum laude from the University of North Georgia in 2016.

Cox Media Group