New photo released of possible killer of Gwinnett County officer

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Gwinnett County Police Department released a new photo of a suspected killer on Tuesday.

The new photo, which was taken from a surveillance video, shows more of the possible suspect’s face.

ORIGINAL STORY

A homicide investigation is underway after a Gwinnett County correctional officer was shot to death early Tuesday morning.

Gwinnett County police identified the victim as Senior Correctional Officer Scott Riner, 59, of Dacula. According to police, Riner apparently was arriving for work around 6:20 a.m. at the facility on Hi Hope Road when someone shot and killed him in the parking lot.

Investigators combed through surveillance video and released a photo of a suspect.

Even though correctional officers work in different departments than police officers and sheriff’s deputies, Gwinnett County law enforcement officers are a tight-knit group, police say.

“Any time that we lose one of our own it is extremely difficult, extremely emotional,” said Sgt. Jennifer Richter, a spokeswoman for the Gwinnett County Police Department, “but what the police department is going to do to help him and honor his memory and his family is to work this case as hard as we can and to catch the person that did this.”

Cpt. Audrey Henderson of the Gwinnett County Department of Corrections described Riner as a model employee. He worked at the correctional complex for more than a decade.

“It’s easy to come in and be negative and be unhappy but that’s not who he was,” Henderson said, adding that he was “just dedicated, always had a funny story to tell, always talking about his family.”

Henderson said Riner was also a jokester and that his warm personality not only captured the respect of his colleagues, but inmates too.

“If you’re an inmate, you don’t want to like officers, but because he treated inmates fair -- he did what he was supposed to do -- they even liked him,” she said.

Friends tell Atlanta News First Riner was a father, grandfather, and a devoted family man who loved the outdoors.

Leonard Savala lives next door to the Riner family.

“It’s horrible, horrible. He was a such a nice guy,” Savala said. “I pray to the good Lord above for his family. May he rest in peace.”

The Gwinnett County Police Department is requesting that anyone who was in the area of Hi Hope Rd. and Swanson Drive (including Hurricane Shoals, Swanson, and 316) between the hours of 4:00 a.m. and 7 a.m. Tuesday to contact detectives at 770-513-5300. Investigators are particularly interested in anyone who may have dashcam footage in the area.

To remain anonymous, tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrimeATL.com. Crime Stoppers tipsters can receive a cash reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.

11:06 a.m.

9:13 a.m.

8:52 a.m.

LOCATION

Copyright 2022 WANF. All rights reserved.