Investigators: Georgia cop shooter wanted to die; not motivated by Dallas attack, didn’t hate police

Published 9:05 pm Sunday, July 10, 2016

VALDOSTA  — The man accused of wounding a Georgia police officer in an ambush-style shooting just hours after the police killings in Dallas has told state investigators he wanted to be shot to death.

Stephen Paul Beck, 22, of Valdosta, told Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents he “suffers from depression and has no hatred for police,” according to a statement released by the agency Saturday night.

“Beck admitted he called 911 and shot officer (Randall) Hancock because he wanted the police to shoot him as he wanted to die,” said the GBI statement.

Hancock, 50, was shot three times Friday morning while answering a bogus 911 call about a vehicle break-in at Three Oaks Apartments where Beck lived in this south Georgia city. The officer was fired upon as he exited his patrol car, the GBI said.

Hancock returned the gunfire, wounding  Beck. He was taken to a north Florida hospital for surgery and reported in stable condition. GBI agents interviewed him there.

Hancock, a 10-year veteran of the Valdosta police force, remained hospitalized in stable condition at South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta, said authorities.

No charges have been filed in the case yet, but a charge of aggravated assault on a police officer is expected, the GBI report stated.