An attempt to serve a warrant turned deadly Thursday when a suspect shot and killed a Riverdale police officer.

Clayton County police officers tried to serve a no-knock drug warrant about 11:15 a.m. at the Villages on the River, an apartment complex in the 6600 block of Church Street, Clayton police Chief Michael Register told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The officer knocked on the suspect’s front door. Instead of surrendering, the suspect ran out a back door.

“He ran approximately 100 to 200 feet from the incident location and we had officers from Riverdale on the perimeter,” Register said. “He confronted one of the Riverdale officers and shot the officer in the torso.”

The suspect took off running toward the front of the apartment complex and was confronted and shot by a Clayton police officer, he said.

The officer was taken to Southern Regional Medical Center, where doctors “worked vigorously to revive” him, Register said.

Just before 2:15 p.m., Register, who was visibly shaken, announced the worst.

“Unfortunately,” he said, “the Riverdale officer has succumbed to his injuries.”

He did not release the officer’s name and referred all questions about the officer to the Riverdale Police Department.

The suspect was taken to Atlanta Medical Center in critical condition, Clayton fire spokesman David Vasquez told Channel 2 Action News.

No Clayton officers were injured in the shooting, Register said.

But “it’s a difficult time for everyone,” he said. “Anytime something like this happens, it’s just sad.”

The apartment complex was covered with officers from multiple agencies Thursday afternoon. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to investigate the incident, which is normal protocol in officer-involved shootings.

— Please return to AJC.com for updates.