Police: Second suspect arrested in officers' slayings

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Police have made a second arrest in the fatal shootings of two off-duty DeKalb County police officers near Atlanta, a police spokeswoman said Thursday.

More arrests may come, said Mekka Parish of the DeKalb County Police Department.

Parish offered no additional details, but WGCL-TV in Atlanta reported that the second suspect was Deanthius Jamal Johnson. The 28-year-old went by the nickname "Little Man," the station reported.

Johnson turned himself into police; a family member brought him to jail, according to WGCL.

Hours after the officers were killed early Wednesday, police arrested the first suspect, Herbie DeShawn Durham, 32, on suspicion of two counts of murder.

The slain officers were identified as Ricky Bryant Jr., 26, and Eric Barker, 33, both of whom were married with four children.

"Hearing the screams of the widows that are without husbands now is a sound you never want to hear," Police Chief Terrell Bolton said. "This is a must-solve crime." Watch Bolton describe the killings »

Then, in comments directed to anyone who might have information about the killings, he said, "Don't lie to us. Tell us the truth."

He urged any witnesses who might be afraid to call police to notify the news media instead. "Call the free press; trust them to do the right thing with the information."

Barker, an Army reservist who served in Afghanistan, had been a policeman for four years, Bryant, for two.

After spending the day on regular duty, the uniformed officers were moonlighting as overnight security guards at the Glenwood Gardens Apartments in suburban Atlanta, Bolton said. Shortly before 1 a.m., as they were responding to a call about a suspicious person, someone fired at them, he said. "They never had a chance."

One officer died at the scene, and the other died at a hospital.

Bolton said his officers had been called to the apartments before, but larger societal issues played a role in the tragedy.

"If you ain't got health insurance, if you don't have jobs, if you're in a cycle of poverty where all you know is to do what you do, this is what we end up with," he said.

Various agencies have offered their support. A reward totaling $60,000 was offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction, Parish said. E-mail to a friend

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