Injured Henry County officer moved to Shepherd Center for rehab

MCDONOUGH, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - The Henry County Police officer injured in shooting in the line of duty earlier this month has been moved to the Shepherd Center for rehabilitation.

Henry County Police Officer Michael Smith was shot in the face last Thursday while responding to a call about a man acting erratically at a dental office near McDonough. The 32-year-old officer was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, but has since been improving and was stable enough to move.

RELATED: Community rallies for Henry County officer in critical condition

Officer Smith was admitted to the Shepherd Center’s ICU for evaluation and observation Friday. He will soon move to the brain injury rehabilitation program where he will be his therapy.

Investigators said Smith and 53-year-old Dimaggio McNelly got into a physical altercation after the officer approached McNelly. During the scuffle, investigators said one shot from Smith’s service weapon was fired, killing McNelly and striking Smith in the face.

RELATED: Henry County police officer remains in critical condition after shooting

Anyone would like to support Smith and his family can drop off donations at any Southern Credit Union or either of the Henry County Police precincts. A GoFundMe account for Smith is available here: gofundme.com/support-officer-smith-fund