Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ATLANTA — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation briefed two dozen federal, state and local agencies across metro Atlanta on Tuesday in the growing manhunt for two to three people wanted in connection with Monday’s killing of policeman Mike Vogt.
Lt. Vogt was gunned down with a “high-powered” weapon on a dirt road in the rural community of Chattahoochee Hills in far southwest Fulton County.
Police are looking for a two-toned, dark brown over tan, early 1980s Chrysler LeBaron that sits lower than usual to the ground. The car is probably of 1982 vintage, GBI spokesman John Bankhead told the AJC.
The shooting must have been unexpected. Bankhead said the dashboard camera in the officer’s patrol car captured no footage of the killing because it was not running. The camera is activated only when an officer triggers the car’s blue lights, Bankhead said.
A growing pile of money is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction. By 5 p.m. Tuesday the award stood at $35,000, but Bankhead said others want to contribute so the offer “probably is going to grow.”
The killing of a policeman is a top priority for the GBI. Agency director Vernon Keenan called the meeting with 24 metro agencies, Bankhead said. The meeting was necessary so all officers in metro Atlanta could get up to speed on the details of the case and what to watch for.
Vogt joined the fledgling Chattahoochee Hills Police Department in December 2008. He was shot while driving down a dirt road off Hutcheson Ferry Road in a sparsely populated area with farms and horse pastures.
Vogt was able to drive in reverse for about 50 yards and call for help. Officers and deputies from Chattahoochee Hills, Union City, Palmetto, and Fulton and Coweta counties began arriving at the scene within moments. It was not known whether Vogt returned fire, but police said witnesses heard multiple shots.
Vogt’s colleagues administered first aid, and a helicopter rushed him to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Funeral arrangements were still pending Tuesday afternoon.
Chattahoochee Hills police spokeswoman Karen Fricke told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday that there were no new developments and investigators hoped the rewards would lead them to the suspected car and the two or three men seen inside. Police also suspect a blue pickup truck with a ladder in the back may have been involved as well.
“Mike was a 20-year veteran in police work, one of the first full-time officers [for Chattahoochee Hills] and one of the first to hold rank in our young department,” Chief Damon Jones said in a written statement. “In a small city, to lose one of our own is extremely close to home.”
Flags were at half staff Tuesday at the Chattahoochee Hills police station and a fire station. There was little activity at the scene of the shooting, a road that runs through a rural area in south Fulton County where the houses are hundreds of yards apart. A lone Chattahoochee Hills police car drove by the scene Tuesday morning.
On the road Tuesday, there was a grim reminder of Monday’s crime: two large blood stains about 30 yards apart.
Vogt had spent some two decades in law enforcement with various agencies around south Fulton, said Col. Jeff Holmes of the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. Vogt was a reserve officer for the Union City police before he took the position with Chattahoochee Hills, Holmes said.
“It’s obvious from the emotions at the scene that a lot of people from the responding departments knew him,” Holmes said soon after the killing. “We will be turning up the heat and trying to find the perpetrators of this horrific crime.”
Before becoming a full-time police officer, Vogt worked as an investigator for USF&G, an insurance company. During his years as a Union City reservist, he did investigations. He was with Union City as far back as 1990, when George Louth, now the Union City police spokesman, joined the department.
“He was very personable and a good investigator and good interviewer,” Louth said. “He was a very advanced officer.”
Vogt’s insurance company was downsizing in 2007 when the Chattahoochee Hills Police Department was being formed. He was among the first hires at the department, Louth said. Chattahoochee Hills, the newest city in Fulton, was created by a 2007 voter referendum
Vogt rose in the 14-person department, recently reaching the rank of lieutenant. He still patrolled the mostly rural city and knew most of its people, Louth said.
“All of us are kind of a close-knit community,” Louth said. “I’m sure this shook [Chief Jones] real, real bad. We all know each other and have worked together for umpteen years.”
Copyright 2010 Atlanta Journal-Constitution