John Bacon, and Ryan W. Miller

USA TODAY

A manhunt was underway Sunday in central Georgia after an Eastman police officer was fatally shot while responding to a 911 call, authorities said.

Patrolman Tim Smith, 31, was killed when he got out of his patrol car and confronted the suspect, identified as Royheem Delshawn Deeds, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.

Deeds, 24, is considered armed and dangerous, the bureau said.

Dodge County 911 received a call Saturday night about a suspicious person seen downtown, the bureau said.

"Officer Smith exited his patrol car to investigate and was shot by the individual," the statement said. "Officer Smith returned gunfire and the individual fled the scene."

Smith was rushed to an area hospital where he died. Smith, a father of three, had been with the Eastman Police Department since February 2011, the statement said.

Bureau Special Agent in Charge Scott Whitley told WMAZ-TV that Smith had a conversation with the alleged gunman while standing outside of his patrol vehicle. Whitley said Smith, who was not wearing a body camera, called in the shooting.

The bureau brought in an extra 20 people from nearby agencies to work this case, Whitley told the TV station.

Eastman, the county seat, has a population of about 5,000 people. The city is about 140 miles southeast of Atlanta.