SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. — Deputies with the Spalding County Sheriff's Office said they were forced to fire shots at a suicidal man after he produced a handgun while they were responding.
Just before 9 p.m. on Wednesday August 14, deputies responded to a report of a suicidal man sitting in a vehicle at Wyomia Tyus Park.
When Deputies arrived, they located the vehicle and found it occupied by a man fitting the description that they had been given. Deputies said they began clearing people, including children, that were using the recreation facility away from the area to keep them out of any potential danger.
According to the report, when deputies got to the vehicle’s side window to talk to him, he raised his handgun, and fired a shot. The deputies "retreated and fired rounds" at the suspect.
“We always want to make the attempt to de-escalate these situations, however in incidents such as what these deputies faced last night, the suspect did not allow that to happen," Sheriff Darrell Dix said. "Based on his sudden actions and what the deputies saw, it forced them to make a split-second decision, contain the incident, and protect the people in the park and themselves.”
The man was pronounced dead on the scene.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigations is handling the investigation. It is the 51st officer involved shooting they have been requested to investigate this year. The names of the Deputies involved, and the suspect will be released by the GBI as the investigation continues.
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