Hall County SWAT officers shot and killed a suspect after he allegedly fired into the woods and pointed a gun at them during a standoff in a Flowery Branch neighborhood.
The incident unfolded just before 6:45 a.m. Saturday, November 11, when a woman called 911 to report she had been assaulted in her residence in the 6500 block of Samoa Way.
The initial investigation indicated the suspect threw the victim down a flight of stairs, causing her to suffer multiple abrasions and bruising. The sheriff’s office says the suspect was armed with a handgun and refused to allow the victim to leave the residence for a time. Eventually, she was able to flee and take refuge at a neighbor’s house.
SWAT team notified
HCSO commanders called in the SWAT team to negotiate after more than two hours of failed attempts to talk with the suspect. SWAT officers set up a perimeter around the residence while negotiators made contact with the suspect by phone.
During the course of the negotiations, the suspect grew increasingly agitated. At one point, he exited the house naked, brandishing his handgun, a news release from the sheriff’s office states.
The suspect reportedly fired multiple rounds into the woodline around the residence.
“When he spotted SWAT officers, he pointed his weapon directly at them. At that point, just before 12 p.m., two officers fired their weapons, and the suspect was killed,” says HCSO Public Information Officer B.J. Williams.
Sheriff Couch reacts
“I always regret when these types of incidents happen, but our deputies did the difficult job they are called to do when there is a deadly threat,” says Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch. “I am thankful no one in the neighborhood was injured, and I’m thankful that our deputies went home safe today.”
Keeping with protocol, the sheriff’s office has placed the two deputies who fired their weapons during the incident on administrative leave.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will conduct an independent investigation into the shooting.
According to Williams, authorities are not releasing the name of the suspect at this time.
