DeKalb County Police Department honors fallen Officer Edgar Isidro Flores

DECATUR, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Members of the DeKalb County Police Department, top-ranking county officials and attendees held moments of silence Friday in memory of a DeKalb officer killed in the line of duty.

App users: View full article here

Police identified the fallen officer Friday morning as Officer Edgar Isidro Flores.
Flores, 24, was fatally shot during a traffic stop along Candler Road Thursday night.

In a news release Friday afternoon, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation identified the shooter as 33-year-old Brandon Taylor of Decatur.

According to the release, Officer Flores had stopped a vehicle driven by Taylor at 2090 Candler Road when Taylor ran from the scene.

According to the GBI, Flores chased Taylor to the parking lot of a business at 2091 Candler Road, where Taylor shot the officer multiple times and ran from the scene.

Medics rushed Flores to Grady Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Responding police K-9 Officer Indi and SWAT officers tracked Taylor and found him hiding in a pile of tires behind a business at 2125 Candler Road where the GBI said he fired his weapon and struck a K-9. Three DeKalb SWAT officers returned fire, wounding Taylor.

Medics took Taylor to Grady where he was also pronounced dead.

RELATED: Police identify DeKalb County officer killed in the line of duty

At a previously scheduled graduation Friday for 15 new DeKalb police recruits, participants held two moments of silence in Officer Flores’ memory.

DeKalb Police Chief James Conroy told the audience Friday would be a day of mourning but also a day of celebration with the addition of new officers.

Chief Conroy said, "Yesterday was a terrible day. But today is a new day. Yesterday, DeKalb County Police Officer Edgar Flores, badge number 3423, was shot and killed in the line of duty, while serving to protect the citizens of DeKalb County. Let's pause for a moment of silence for Officer Flores.”

Authorities identified the K-9 Officer as 7-year-old Indi. The K-9, who has five years of service with DeKalb County Police, is in critical, but stable condition. 

Chief Conroy made the tragic announcement of Officer Flores’ death just after 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

"I have very sad news to report this evening..." the chief said, giving a long pause to fight back his visible emotions. "Sad, sad news to report this evening. A DeKalb County Police officer died this evening while serving in the line of duty serving the citizens of DeKalb County."

Officer Flores graduated from the academy on Nov. 4, 2017, and was hired by the police department in May 2017.

"I am very proud of the men and women of the police department. They responded to the scene, were able to track the suspect, they did their job, and all while this was going on, the officers throughout the county providing services to DeKalb,” the chief said at the shooting scene about how his department handles the situation.

Support has poured in from law enforcement agencies across metro Atlanta. Several different agencies responded to Grady Memorial Hospital to lend moral support and honor the officer's service on Thursday night.

FOX 5 Live brought the solemn procession escorting the body of the fallen officer from Grady Memorial Hospital at around 8:45 p.m. Several dozen police officers from various agencies joined DeKalb County Police in the procession.

The GBI will conduct its independent investigation. Once complete, it will be turned over to the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office for review.