A man, who held nine hostages in his Georgia apartment for four days, surrendered after police allowed him to do so on live television.
Jamie Hood, accused of murdering a Georgia police officer, reportedly expressed remorse to law enforcement as he was being apprehended.
“I regret killing that officer,” Hood allegedly told a WXIA-TV reporter following his surrender on Friday night at a residence in Athens. “That officer. That innocent officer. I regret that. He didn’t deserve that.”
When questioned about his actions, Hood claimed he feared police intended to kill him.
“You know, they killed my brother,” Hood stated, referencing his brother’s death at the hands of police in 2001 while he was incarcerated for armed robbery. “They were going to kill me.”
Hood, who eluded capture for four days following the alleged shooting of Athens-Clarke County Senior Police Officer Elmer “Buddy” Christian and injuring his partner during a traffic stop on Tuesday, took hostages in a home in Athens and insisted he would surrender only if the event was televised live.
“He was convinced he was going to be killed by law enforcement,” stated Vernon Keenan, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, after the suspect surrendered.
Keenan appeared on television Friday night as the standoff continued, assuring Hood that the police would not harm him if he surrendered and released the hostages.
On Tuesday, Christian and his partner, Senior Police Officer Tony Howard, had stopped the SUV that Howard was a passenger in to inquire about a carjacking spree.
After apprehending the vehicle’s driver, Hood allegedly exited and shot Howard in the face and upper body, then approached and shot Christian, who remained inside the police vehicle.
Hood, 33, is currently being held without bond facing murder and additional charges.
Christian’s funeral is set for today. He was an 8-year veteran of the Athens police department and leaves behind a wife and two young children.
Howard is expected to recover from his injuries.
No initial court hearing for Hood has been scheduled as of yet, and his defense attorney, Jim Smith, did not respond to a message requesting comment on Saturday.
by Sasha Dubronitz
Jamie Hood, 33, expressed that he was afraid of being shot by officers, similar to what happened to his brother a decade ago.
