Brookhaven Police officers were involved in the fatal shooting of a suspect who allegedly opened fire with a rifle July 12 along Buford Highway in Chamblee.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said on social media that the suspect died and that it will investigate the shooting.
According to the Brookhaven Police Department, the incident began around 9 a.m. with calls to Chamblee police about a man with a gun in the parking lot of a business on Shallowford Road near the intersection with Buford Highway. Chamblee officers found the man inside a vehicle with a rifle, according to BPD.
The Chamblee Police Department requested assistance from other agencies, including BPD and the DeKalb County SWAT Team and crisis negotiators. BPD said in the press release that “officers at the scene made continuous attempts to negotiate with the subject and prepared less-lethal weapons options in an attempt to avoid the use of deadly force and de-escalate the situation.”
BPD also said in the release that officers blocked vehicle and pedestrian traffic, “but several vehicles and pedestrians drove or walked around officers in this densely populated and heavily traveled area, and a significant danger to the public remained.”
The suspect left the vehicle, stepped onto Buford Highway, and began firing the rifle, hitting a Chamblee Police vehicle at least twice, according to BPD. BPD and Chamblee officers fired guns at the suspect, who was hit at least once, according to BPD.
Both agencies requested that GBI investigate the shooting, according to BPD. The GBI regularly investigates officer-involved shootings throughout the state, but must be invited to do so by local jurisdictions.
The fatal shooting comes amid increased scrutiny of police use-of-force procedures due to the national wave of Black Lives Matter protests that have followed the May killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. In response to those protests, BPD created a “Transparency Project” social media campaign about use of force and other policies, and the Reporter recently examined its use of force records as well. BPD also dedicated its annual fundraiser 5K run to Floyd.