A Georgia bill would classify shooting at a police officer as attempted murder. | Pexels
A Georgia bill would classify shooting at a police officer as attempted murder. | Pexels
Shooting at a police officer may be classified as attempted murder under a bill introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Rick Wiliams, was filed shortly after a deputy was shot in his legislative district, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
"We are seeing too much violence toward our law enforcement officers," Williams told Fox 5 Atlanta. "We've got to do something to make it stop."
In January, Jones County Sheriff's Office Deputy John Kile was shot in his bulletproof vest after pulling over motorist Lucas Olivar, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. Olivar, 24, was charged with aggravated assault and is being held without bond at the Jones County jail.
The bill intends to elevate the charge for shooting a police officer from aggravated assault, which has a sentence of 1-20 years, to attempted murder, which limits that sentence to 10-20 years, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
"That's the whole idea of this — to make them think twice that this is serious and it's going to stop," Williams said. " We're tired of our law enforcement officers being assaulted and the buck stops here."
The House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee is currently reviewing the bill and the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police's executive director has yet to review it, but Williams is confident the legislation will move forward, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
"This is a no-brainer," Williams said. "Anyone who is law enforcement, anyone who is a law-abiding citizen, they're going to go for this. They have to go for it. We've got to protect our law enforcement officers."
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