SGT. Marc McIntyre
Officer: Spalding County Sheriff's Office, Sergeant Marc McIntyre
Date: 12/29/2023 Location: Griffin, GA FACTORS (1,2,4,7,15,18,19,21)
Perpetrator(s) Involved: Todd Lamont Harper
Criminal Activity History/Involved: None stated. / Yes, Harper was involved in a domestic violence incident.
Mental Illness: Yes, Harper has a “history of mental health issues.”
Substance Abuse History/Involved: Unknown. / None stated.
Race/Sex/Age: Black/Male/57
What prompted the initial contact with the killer? At around 11 a.m. on December 29, 2023, Spalding County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call from Todd Harper’s wife claiming he threatened her.
Actions taken by subject toward police: As the deputies approached his mobile home, Harper ambushed them, shooting at them with his shotgun from inside the trailer.
Reactions by the police: Sgt. McIntyre was shot in the head and killed, and the other deputy suffered a broken hand while taking cover but managed to return fire. An armored vehicle was used to make entry into Harper’s house after he barricaded himself and refused to exit. Deputies found Harper hiding under his bed and took him into custody.
How murdered? Sgt. McIntyre was ambushed and shot in the head upon responding to a 911 call of domestic violence/welfare check.
What could have been done differently for the officer to still be alive? It was Sgt. McIntyre’s duty to respond and though Harper had barricaded himself during one of the previous 911 calls to his residence, there was no history of him shooting at the officers.
Would the officer have been justified in using deadly force before being murdered? Sgt. McIntyre was ambushed and never had a chance to use justified deadly force.
Outcome for the cop-killer: Harper was “arrested and charged with murder”.
Miscellaneous: Apparently Harper’s family knew he was off his medications but took no action. One can imagine that if he had been stopped by the police and justifiably shot by them because of his altered mental state, that same family would be suing the county.If families are going to be financially rewarded by lawsuits when their emotionally disturbed relative is killed by the police (even when it’s justifiable), why are they not held financially/criminally liable when such relatives murder the police or other civilians?
