SMYRNA, Ga. — A man is dead, and two Smyrna police officers are recovering from gunshot wounds after a shooting involving officers outside a gun store late Friday night, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The incident began around 11:45 p.m. on Sept. 27 when Smyrna police responded to a reported burglary in progress at Adventure Outdoors, located at 2500 South Cobb Drive. When officers arrived, an employee on-site informed them that someone was inside the business.
Officers located a man inside the store and asked him to come outside. After stepping outside, the man attempted to flee and began firing a rifle that was slung around his neck, striking two Smyrna officers in the leg, according to the GBI.
Three Cobb County police officers, who had arrived on the scene to assist, returned fire, killing the man. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The two injured Smyrna officers were taken to a nearby hospital and are expected to be OK.
The suspect has since been identified as 21-year-old Emilio Aguilar of Marietta, according to the GBI.
11Alive’s Cody Alcorn was at the scene and confirmed that Smyrna Police, Cobb County Police, Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, Marietta Police, and Powder Springs Police all responded to Adventure Outdoors, a large gun store in Smyrna.
Witnesses told 11Alive’s Cody Alcorn they heard multiple gunshots before law enforcement swarmed the area. SWAT teams gathered outside the store's doors as South Cobb Drive was shut down in front of the business for some time. The road has reopened, and law enforcement is now focused on the parking lot.
The identity of the man killed has not yet been released, and his body was taken to the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. The GBI is conducting an ongoing investigation. Once the case is complete, the agency will turn over its findings to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office for review.
11Alive will continue to follow this story and provide updates as more information becomes available.