Back in October, when I wrote in this space honoring Gwinnett County Police Officer Antwan Toney, as well as several DeKalb County Officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, I never guessed that I would be doing it again so soon. This time I’m writing about the incident that occurred on December 13 where Officer Edgar Flores lost his life and K-9 Officer Indi was critically injured.
This incident occurred on Candler Road near Interstate 20. Officer Flores was conducting a traffic stop and, unbeknownst to him, the driver had an extensive criminal record and an active arrest warrant. The suspect ran from his vehicle and the officer gave chase. At some point during the chase, Officer Flores was shot by the suspect.
As Officer Flores lay mortally wounded the suspect continued in his attempt to flee. Officers responding for backup converged on the area. K-9 Officer Indi led officers to the location where the suspect was hiding. When they attempted to apprehend the suspect, he shot K-9 Officer Indi. The suspect was, in turn, killed when officers returned fire.
Officer Flores had been a police officer for 18 months. He was days away from his 25th birthday. He left behind a fiancée, mother, father and brother. He had his entire life in front of him. It was all taken away in an instant because a career criminal decided he didn’t want to go back to jail. Officer Indi was shot in the head during the incident. As a result of his injuries he lost his right eye. It is unknown, at this point, if he will ever return to working the road. This is a sad example of what every police officer faces when they go to work every day.
An average of 141 police officers have been killed on duty nationwide every year since 2010. In 2018, there were 148 officers killed; 59 percent of those were responding to felony incidents. The DeKalb County Police Department has lost 31 officers throughout its history. Including Officer Flores, we have had seven officers killed in the line of duty since I started here in 2001. I can’t think of a single person I know outside of law enforcement who can say they have lost as many coworkers on the job.
There is no telling exactly how many lives have been affected by this incident. Obviously, Officer Flores’ fiancée has been robbed of the future they had planned together. His family has lost a son and brother. Officer Indi suffered a potentially career-ending injury. Though I don’t shed any tears for him, I recognize that even the suspect in this case has friends and family that will feel his loss. When incidents like this occur there truly are no winners.
