An FBI agent was wounded and the man suspected of shooting a Banks County deputy earlier this week was killed in a shootout in southwest Atlanta on Friday.
The shooting occurred near the intersection of Peyton Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive as agents were attempting to serve an arrest warrant on 32-year-old Avery Richard.
Richard was wanted for shooting a deputy outside Tanger Outlets in Commerce then kidnapping a woman. He’d been on the run for two days.
READ: Banks County Sheriff: “Multiple losers” in Avery Richard crime spree
“He’d already fired upon law enforcement and our concerns going into this were pretty high,” explained FBI spokesman Stephen Emmett during a press conference Friday. “He (Richard) did fire on the agent and return fire killed him and struck another individual, a female age 32, and she’s being treated at an area hospital, as well.”
The agent who was shot is a 30-year veteran of the FBI. His injuries are thought to be non-life-threatening, according to the FBI.
“Mr. Richard unfortunately chose to respond to law enforcement in this manner and he’s deceased,” Emmett said.
Police released a sketch of the Banks County suspect on Thursday. GBI spokesperson Nelly Miles says information the agency received led authorities to the area where Friday’s shooting took place.
