Ricky Bryant, 26, was killed while working an off-duty security detail in Decatur, Georgia on the evening of Wednesday, January 16, 2008. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran who had served with the DeKalb County Police Department for two years, Bryant and his partner, Officer Eric Barker, encountered a suspicious person at an apartment complex on Glenwood Road. A struggle followed, the suspect gained control of one of the officers’ service weapons and opened fire, fatally wounding both officers. A tow truck driver found the scene and called 911 roughly ten minutes later.

A suspect, William Woodard, was arrested several days afterward after his girlfriend turned him in. Prosecutors said Woodard shot the officers to avoid returning to prison; his defense said he acted in self-defense, claiming the officers were beating him. Witnesses testified they did not see the officers strike Woodard and that he fired first. In October 2012 a jury convicted Woodard on multiple counts, including murder and weapons violations, and he received life sentences. Officer Bryant was survived by his wife and four children.