U.S. police officer killed in Georgia responding to emergency call

(Reuters) - A police officer was fatally shot while responding to a call about a suspicious person near an intersection in southern Georgia, police said on Sunday.

Patrol Officer Tim Smith, 31, was called to a neighborhood in Eastman Georgia, a small city about 130 miles (210 km) south of Atlanta, at about 9:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.

Smith arrived at the area and encountered an individual, the statement said. "Officer Smith exited his patrol car to investigate and was shot by the individual," it said.

Smith returned gunfire, but the suspect fled the scene.

The officer was transported to a local hospital, where he died.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is seeking tips to identify and find the assailant, it said. It did not release information about a possible motive for the attack.

(Reporting by Laila Kearney; Editing by Stephen Powell)

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