A rookie Georgia police officer who was shot in the head during a motel shootout with a suspect on Tuesday night is "awake, alert and in good spirits" as he awaits surgery at a hospital, authorities said Wednesday.

Covington Police Officer Rashad Rivers was scheduled to undergo surgery on his jaw Thursday to repair the damage from the gunshot wound, the Covington Police Department said. The officer was struck near his eye, and the bullet lodged in his jaw, law enforcement sources told FOX5 Atlanta.

"We ask that you continue to keep Officer Rivers, his family, our city family and all public safety personnel who were involved in your prayers as the healing process begins," the department wrote on Facebook.

Rivers had responded to the OYO Hotel on Alcovy Road in Covington around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday for a reported fight between a couple. 

WOMAN ACCUSED OF MURDERING BOSTON POLICE OFFICER BOYFRIEND BACK IN COURT, AS DEFENSE SUBPOENAS NEW WITNESSES

officer rashad rivers

Rookie police officer Rashad Rivers was awake and in good spirits as he was expected to undergo surgery Thursday after suffering a gunshot wound to his head on Tuesday night, authorities said. (Covington Police Department )

When the officer arrived, he saw a man, later identified as 23-year-old Treyvorius Stodghill, with a gun inside a room, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said.

police vehicles at motel scene

Officers responded around 10:30 p.m. to reports of a couple fighting at the OYO Hotel on Alcovy Road in Covington, Georgia, on Tuesday. (FOX5 Atlanta WAGA)

Stodghill exchanged gunfire with the officer and the officer was shot, according to the agency.

TWO NYC POLICE OFFICERS STRUCK AND DRAGGED BY FLEEING VEHICLE: NYPD

As the suspect pointed a gun at the downed officer, a second officer returned fire, killing Stodghill, investigators said.

The GBI is continuing to investigate the shooting.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Rivers joined the force in January after graduating from the police academy and earning the "Leadership Award" for his class, officials said.