Clayton Co. officer dies after being shot

A Clayton County police officer has died after being shot twice in the head during a gunfire exchange with a suspect on Monday, authorities said. Officer Sean Callahan, 24, died at 5:16 a.m. on Tuesday, according to a statement released on Tuesday.

The suspect died in the shootout, which occurred at a Motel 6 on Davidson Parkway in Stockbridge just after 2 p.m.

Callahan was among those who responded to a domestic call at the motel, according to Clayton County Police Chief Greg Porter. The officers attempted to take a couple into custody when a male suspect tried to run away, according to Clayton County PD press release.

The officers began chasing after the man, who began shooting towards them. Callahan was shot two times in the head, according to authorities. Officers returned fire, fatally wounding the man, according to police.

Police say Callahan was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital in critical condition. He underwent surgery late Monday afternoon and died early Tuesday morning.

"As a police chief, I take any incident seriously. However, when one of my own is involved in a situation, it seems like it hits home to me as a father, as a police chief, as a praying person," said Porter.

Porter said that Callahan been on the force for only four months.

"I am very proud of Officer Callahan. I think he is a very good police officer -- above board, very energetic, professional," said Porter.

Clayton Commission Chair Eldrin Bell, a former police officer and police chief, was among the family friends and fellow officers who converged at Grady in support of Callahan.

"It's painful for me. And of course when you're new on the job like that, you try to get it right and it sounds like he was trying to do it the right way --  the way he'd been trained," Bell said.

SkyFOX 5 showed a woman being placed in handcuffs and taken into custody. Her name and the deceased suspect's name have not been released yet.

The incident is the second in a week involving a Clayton County officer. Police are continuing to search for 36-year-old Thomas Paige, who is accused of hitting Clayton County Police Officer Michael Hooks with his car last week during a burglary call at the old K-Mart on Old Dixie Highway.

Police are asking for prayers for Callahan's family, the Clayton County Police Department and the community as they "endure the loss of a fallen comrade."