Slain officer's widow to inspect vest at center of lawsuit

ATLANTA -- The widow of a slain Georgia police officer hopes to learn more about why his ballistic vest didn't save him from gunshots.

Bullets pierced police officer Kevin Jordan's back, though that area of his body was covered by his vest during the 2014 shooting outside a Waffle House in the west Georgia town of Griffin, his wife, Tammy Jordan, and her lawyer maintain in an ongoing federal lawsuit.

The case comes as police agencies nationwide consider upgrading their protection over concerns current gear can be pierced by high-powered weapons.

In Atlanta, for instance, Mayor Kasim Reed in August announced plans to spend $1.9 million for new helmets and vests able to stop rifle rounds.

The Georgia lawsuit names as a defendant Michigan-based Armor Express.

In court documents, the company denied one of its vests failed to meet standards.

Jordan was shot five times while intervening in a fight while working an off-duty security job at the restaurant, according to the lawsuit.

"The vest was designed to protect officer Jordan from bullet wounds or being shot by a .40-caliber handgun in his upper, middle and low back areas," Tammy Jordan contends in the lawsuit.

The specific type of weapon and ammunition used to kill Jordan can't be released because it's an open criminal case, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement Friday.