DeKalb County, GA – DeKalb County Police Officer Edgar Isidro Flores was murdered in the line of duty on Thursday night, when the suspect he was chasing on foot turned around and shot him.

Officer Flores, 24, initially encountered the suspect during a traffic stop on Candler Road at approximately 5 p.m., DeKalb County Police Chief James Conroy said, according to WAGA.

During the traffic stop, the suspect fled on foot.

While fleeing, he turned and opened fire on Officer Flores, fatally hitting him in the back of his head.

Officer Flores was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Meanwhile, the suspect tried to avoid being captured by hiding behind a business on Candler Road, Chief Conroy said, according to WSB.

“The police K9, the K9 officer, and the cover team were able to track behind one of the businesses here on Candler Road,” the chief explained. “They found the suspect hiding behind one of the businesses. The suspect had a handgun, shot the police K9.”

Officers returned fire, hitting the suspect multiple times.

The identity of the deceased gunman, described as a male in his twenties or thirties, has not been released.

The K9 was transported to a veterinary hospital, and remains in critical condition.

Officer Flores was hired by the DeKalb County Police Department in May of 2017, and graduated from the police academy in November of 2017, WAGA reported.

“We are forever grateful for his service and sacrifice,” Georgia Governor-elect Brian Kemp said in a tweet, according to The Washington Post. “Our prayers are with those who mourn.”

In a tweet, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal said that he and his wife “join the officer’s loved ones and the DeKalb County community in grieving this tragic and senseless loss.”

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family DeKalb County Police Officer Edgar Isidro Flores, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.

Officer Edgar Isidro Flores, your life mattered.