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Riverdale Police Department's Greg Barney Shot Dead While Serving Warrant

Maj. Greg Barney was a 25-year veteran of Georgia's Riverdale Police Department.
Image: Major Greg Barney
Maj. Greg Barney of the City of Riverdale Police.Riverdale police department

A veteran police officer was shot and killed while trying to serve a warrant in suburban Atlanta, officials said Thursday.

The Clayton County Police Department said Riverdale's Maj. Greg Barney was helping its narcotics officers serve a "no-knock" search warrant at an apartment complex in Riverdale, Georgia.

Barney gave chase when individuals who were in the apartment tried to flee, according to a statement from police. One fleeing man pulled out a gun and opened fire, police said, striking Barney in the torso.

The gunman continued to run until he was confronted by a Clayton County officer, the department added. It said the suspect was shot and injured after he "engaged" the officer.

Barney and the suspect were both taken to a local hospital, where Barney succumbed to his wounds during surgery. The condition of the suspect was not immediately clear.

Barney was a 25-year-veteran of the Riverdale Police Department and one-time interim Chief of Police, according to NBC station WXIA.

“Every day you'd find something that there was a smile on his face,” Riverdale Police Chief Todd Spivey told WXIA. “As tough as the job can be every day there would be a smile on his face for some reason or another.”

Image: Major Greg Barney
Maj. Greg Barney of the City of Riverdale Police.Riverdale police department