Fulton County Police Department, Georgia
End of Watch: Tuesday, April 22, 2003
Age: 26
Tour of Duty: 2 years, 6 months
Badge Number: 0871
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: April 22, 2003
Weapon Used: Handgun; 9 mm
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Police Officer Aaron Blount was shot and killed at approximately 10:00 pm while making a traffic stop at the intersection of Roosevelt Highway and Ben Hill Road, in the Red Oak section of the county.
Officer Blount had been assigned to desk work at the police station for most of his shift and had left the station only 18 minutes earlier to go out on patrol. He noticed a car driving erratically and stopped it. Before he had a chance to radio in the stop, the driver of the vehicle exited the car and opened fire on Officer Blount, who was still in his patrol car. The officer was struck twice in the head and once in the shoulder.
Another officer who was driving past the corner found the victim's patrol car with the emergency lights flashing and Officer Blount slumped across the steering wheel. The patrol car, which was still in drive, had rolled across the highway and came to rest against a set of railroad tracks.
The suspect fled the scene but was apprehended in Miami, Florida, five days after the murder by U.S. Marshals and Miami-Dade police officers. The suspect was returned to Fulton County and has been charged with capital murder. On January 13, 2009, the suspect was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Officer Blount had been employed with the Fulton County Police Department for just under three years. He is survived by his fiancée and 13-month-old son. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery, College Park, Fulton County, Georgia.