In the predawn hours of March 4, 2015, a tragedy unfolded in a Fairburn, Georgia, subdivision that would claim the life of a veteran law enforcement officer. Male Fulton County Police Detective Terence Avery Green, a 48-year-old with 22 years of dedicated service, was shot and killed while responding to a call of shots fired. The incident began when officers were dispatched to the Parks of Cedar Grove subdivision shortly after midnight.
Residents reported a man, later identified as Amanuel Menghesha, was erratically going from house to house, banging on doors and discharging a long gun.
Upon their arrival, Detective Green and other officers began a search for the armed man in the dark and foggy conditions. Without warning, Menghesha opened fire on the officers in what was described as an ambush. Green was struck in the back of the head. A second officer was also hit, but the bullet struck his duty belt, shattering his police radio and leaving him unharmed. Detective Green was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries shortly after 4:30 a.m. The responding officers returned fire, wounding Menghesha, who was then taken into custody.
The investigation that followed revealed a troubled history for the 42-year-old suspect. Amanuel Menghesha had previous encounters with law enforcement, including arrests for domestic violence. Just months before the fatal shooting, he had been arrested for allegedly assaulting his daughter and choking and threatening to kill his fiancée. He was reportedly due in court to face those charges just days after he killed Detective Green. The weapon used in the attack was an AK-47 style rifle.
Following the incident, Amanuel Menghesha was charged with a litany of crimes, including murder, felony murder, aggravated assault on a police officer, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The Fulton County District Attorney's Office announced its intention to seek the death penalty in the case against him. Menghesha was indicted by a grand jury on 29 counts. The death of Detective Green, a father of four adult sons who was engaged to be married, was a profound loss for his family, the Fulton County Police Department, and the community he had served for over two decades.
