Officer shot in the head while responding to domestic dispute in Newton County

COVINGTON, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A Covington police officer is in the hospital after being shot in the line of duty late Tuesday night at a motel in Newton County.

It happened around 10:30 p.m. on Alcovy Road near Interstate 20.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation says its preliminary information indicates the following:

Covington Police Department officers responded to a report of a domestic dispute at My Home & Suites Hotel on Alcovy Road in Covington. The first officer saw a man, identified as 23-year-old Treyvorius Stodghill, of Covington, with a gun inside a room at the hotel. Stodghill fired at the officer and the officer was shot. A second responding officer arrived at the scene and saw Stodghill pointing a gun at the officer who was down. That officer then shot and killed Stodghill.

“The first officer to arrive on scene encountered an armed individual, gunfire was exchanged between the officer and the armed individual. The officer was shot in the head,” said Lt. Daniel Digby, Public Information Officer for the Covington Police Department.

Atlanta News First spoke with motel guest Destiny Coggins who is staying a few doors down from the room where the shooting occurred. She said she saw the first officer arrive a walk past her. She saw him knock on the couple’s door announcing that he was a police officer and ordering them to open the door. Coggins said they wouldn’t open the door until the third knock, and that’s when she heard about six to eight gunshots.

“They were arguing all night last night on the second balcony, and the front desk lady told me they’ve been doing this for a couple of weeks that they’ve been staying here,” said Coggins.

The injured officer was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment.

The GBI continues to investigate.

This is the 40th officer-involved shooting the GBI has been requested to investigate in 2023.

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