On December 7, 2016, a domestic disturbance call in Americus, Georgia, ended in tragedy, claiming the life of 25-year-old Americus Police Officer Nicholas Ryan Smarr. A male officer, Smarr was responding to a 911 call at an apartment complex on South Lee Street. His lifelong friend, Georgia Southwestern State University Officer Jody Smith, heard the call over the radio and, knowing the potential danger, decided to back him up.
The two men, who had been friends since high school and graduated from the police academy together, were more like brothers than colleagues.
Upon their arrival, the officers were informed that the suspect, 32-year-old Minquell Kennedy Lembrick, was inside the apartment and had an active felony warrant. As Smarr approached the front of the apartment, Smith went to the rear. Lembrick fled out the back door, and both officers gave chase. It was then that Lembrick opened fire, striking both Smarr and Smith in the head. Despite being mortally wounded, Officer Smarr was able to return fire, though the suspect was not hit. In a final act of friendship and bravery, Smarr then used his remaining strength to perform CPR on his fallen friend until he himself collapsed. Nicholas Smarr was pronounced dead at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center, and Officer Jody Smith succumbed to his injuries the following day.
The shooting sparked a massive 24-hour manhunt for Minquell Kennedy Lembrick, a man with a lengthy 32-page criminal history who was considered armed and dangerous. Numerous local, state, and federal agencies joined the search, and a reward of $70,000 was offered for information leading to his arrest. The search came to a dramatic end the following day when law enforcement received a tip that Lembrick was hiding in a house on Allen Street. As a SWAT team surrounded the residence, they heard a single gunshot from inside. After attempts to make contact were unsuccessful, a tactical robot was sent in, which discovered Lembrick deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Federal Bureau of Investigation later confirmed his identity through fingerprint examinations.
