'Gentle' Georgia man accused of using 911 to ambush officer

July 9, 2016 at 7:00 a.m. | Updated July 9, 2016 at 10:14 p.m.

by Associated Press

A Georgia Bureau of Investigation vehicles parks near the scene of an officer involved shooting, Friday, July 8, 2016, in Valdosta, Ga. A man who called 911 to report a car break-in Friday ambushed a south Georgia police officer dispatched to the scene, sparking a shootout in which both the officer and suspect were wounded, authorities said. Both are expected to survive. (Gabe Burns/The Daily Times via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
A Georgia Bureau of Investigation vehicles parks near the scene of an officer involved shooting, Friday, July 8, 2016, in Valdosta, Ga. A man who called 911 to report a car break-in Friday ambushed a south Georgia police officer dispatched to the scene, sparking a shootout in which both the officer and suspect were wounded, authorities said. Both are expected to survive. (Gabe Burns/The Daily Times via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

More about fatal shootings by police, protests

More stories on the Dallas attack

More about shootings targeting police

VALDOSTA, Ga. (AP) - Police say a Georgia man friends describe as "gentle" and a "teddy bear" called 911 to lure an officer into an ambush that left both wounded.

Officer Randall Hancock and 22-year-old Stephen Paul Beck are expected to survive the Friday morning gunfire outside an apartment complex in Valdosta.

The shootout happened only hours after a sniper killed five police officers in Dallas, but Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman Scott Dutton says there was no immediate evidence of a connection.

Beck's friends and neighbors said they're stunned. Taki Zambaras, who ran a drug treatment center where Beck sought help about three years ago, says he turned his life around and is "one of the kindest, most gentle people."

Upcoming Events