Georgia suspect accused of shooting cop 6 times granted bond, but DA steps in

Christian Eppinger, a gang member accused of shooting an Atlanta policeman six times, has been released on bond.

Eppinger, 22, reportedly shot an officer six times in an altercation outside Colonial Square Apartments in Atlanta, Georgia, as the police were serving an arrest warrant. The suspect was denied bond immediately after the shooting, but a new ruling on Tuesday reversed that decision. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis hosted a press conference Wednesday with Police Chief Rodney Bryant to address the bond agreement. Willis stated that despite the judge's decision, Eppinger wouldn't be released from jail. 

"It is the position of the state that that individual should not have been given bond, based on his history – based on where he was in the process here at Fulton County," said District Attorney Fani Willis at a Wednesday press conference. "And so, it is something that has upset my law enforcement partners, and me as the district attorney."

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"Eppinger has a long history of violence in our community," she continued, adding that Eppinger's previous convictions and sentences have been exceptionally lenient.

Officer David Rodgers, who has been with the department since 2011, was pursuing Eppinger, wanted for an October 2021 aggravated assault and robbery, at an apartment complex on Old Hapeville Road on Monday around 1:15 p.m. An 11-year veteran officer of the Atlanta Police Department, Rodgers was hit six times while executing the warrant. 

Rodgers survived the flurry of gunshot wounds but not much is known about his injuries.

After Eppinger allegedly opened fire on Rodgers, another officer began returning gunfire. Eppinger was not hit.

Eppinger then fled into the apartment complex, where police located and arrested him "in short order," according to Schierbaum.

"He will have a long road of recovery before him," Deputy Chief Darin Schierbaum said of Rodgers during a February press briefing. "…What happened today is the challenge that we are against here in Atlanta and in cities across this country, where individuals are heavily armed … and are released into our communities. It causes harm to police officers, who are being assaulted at record levels across the country and placed in communities with imminent harm."

As a result of breaking probation ahead of this incident, Eppinger will not be allowed out of jail, Willis assured the public.

"Mr. Eppinger is not getting out of jail. There is a hold on him from the Fulton County jail as a result of [his parole infractions.] So he is not getting out of jail," Willis told listeners.

She concluded, "We want to make sure that, in my lifetime, he never sees society again."

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Eppinger's warrant stems from an October 2021 incident in which he and another suspect approached victim Darius Smith in a park and demanded he hand over his "chain," according to an Oct. 12 police report. He is reportedly a member of "Young Slime Life" – a street gang brandishing Y-S-L tattoos and emblems inspired by high-fashion brand Yves Saint Laurent.

"The victim stated that one suspect had his firearm pointed against his head while the other had his weapon pointed against his ribs. The suspects then stole his diamond earrings, diamond and gold necklace, two iPhones, and his car keys" before fleeing, the police report states.

So far in 2022, six police officers have been fatally shot on the job, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, which tracks officer line-of-duty deaths. More police officers were feloniously killed in 2021 than any previous year since 1995.