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Officer Gunned Down Trying to Stop Carjacking Suspect

Athens-Clarke County Police Department

ATHENS, GA – Authorities continued searching Wednesday for the suspect they believe shot and killed an Athens police officer.

Jamie Hood, 33, was charged with murder in the shooting death of Athens Senior Police Officer Elmer “Buddy” Christian.

Christian, a father of two, was fatally shot Tuesday afternoon while trying to stop Hood, a suspect in an earlier carjacking, Athens-Clarke County Police Chief, Joseph H. Lumpkin Sr. said.

Hood also is accused of shooting another officer, Senior Police Officer Tony Howard. Howard was taken to a hospital and is expected to recover from his gunshot wounds, Lumpkin said.

The shooting happened around 12:50 p.m. near Sycamore Drive and Atlanta Highway. The area is about three miles west of the University of Georgia. It’s also where police believe Hood resides.

Authorities were looking for Hood because they believed he was involved in an earlier kidnapping and carjacking, Lumpkin said. Police encountered Hood after Howard spotted and stopped a red Chevrolet Suburban driven by one of his relatives.

That person — whom police have not identified — appeared to comply with authorities, Lumpkin said. Hood stepped out of the car and shot at Howard and then ran, Lumpkin said.

After hearing the shots, another police officer, Senior Police Officer Jerry Johnson, arrested the driver of the SUV. It is unclear whether he has been charged with anything at this time.

Hood saw Christian while running from the traffic stop, and he fired into Christian’s police cruiser, killing the officer, Lumpkin said.

Authorities say Hood carjacked and escaped in a silver Chevrolet Prizm. They found the car several hours later on Airport Road, according to Oconee County Sheriff’s Capt. Jimmy Williams, whose agency was participating in the manhunt.

Hood is described as a 5-foot-8, 175-pound black man in blue shorts and a white T-shirt, possibly on foot around Cherokee Road and Wintersett Place.

Athens-Clarke County police identified the suspect as Jamie Hood, 33. He's 5-foot, 9 inches and 175 pounds. (Athens-Clarke County police)

Police are offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to Hood’s arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call 706-613-3345.

Hood’s father, Robert Hood Sr., is urging his son to turn himself in to authorities.

Hood is a convicted felon. He was released from prison in 2009 after serving more than 11 years for an armed robbery conviction in Clarke County, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections. The agency said he had several distinguishing tattoos, including the word “job” with a female on his chest, the words “Robert/dad” on his right arm and the words “mom Azale” with a heart on his left arm. He also had scars on the back of his head and chest.

Hood’s family, including his six brothers and their father, are no strangers to violence, according to a September 2004 article from the Athens Banner-Herald.

Timothy Hood, 22, was shot and killed by an Athens-Clarke police officer on Nov. 6, 2001, after he allegedly held a gun to the officer’s head, the Banner-Herald said.

Another brother, Robert Hood was arrested in September 2004 in connection with a retaliatory shooting two hours after his father was badly beaten the day before, the Banner-Herald said. The elder Hood was beaten during an altercation, which started after he confronted a group of men. Hood was armed with a screwdriver, the Banner-Herald said.

Though Tuesday’s shooting was three miles from UGA, the university was unaffected, according to campus Police Chief Jimmy Williamson.

“We sent out an e-mail to our students to stay out of the area” where the shooting occurred, Williamson said, adding that the shooter was moving fast and was no longer in that area. “Right now, there’s no reason for us to believe the campus is in danger in any way.”

He said campus officers were assisting with the manhunt.

Several elementary schools locked staff and students inside their schools, according to the website of the Athens Banner-Herald.