The Redline Performance Group located at 2100 Fairburn Road was broken into on the morning of July 1, 2021, prompting a deputy-involved shooting, the sheriff's office says. (FOX 5)
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. - The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said one of their deputies was forced to shoot and kill a burglary suspect early Thursday morning.
Deputies responded to a report of a burglary at the Redline Performance Group located at 2100 Fairburn Road around 9:42 a.m. The employee of the adjacent emission station told 911 operators they heard a noise. When they went to investigate, he opened the door to the dealership and saw a man holding something in his hand. That man said he needed a car. That employee quickly back out of the building and called 911
"The caller advised that there was forced entry into the business and provided a description of the suspect they saw breaking in," the sheriff’s office posted to its Facebook page about the incident.
That man was last seen walking towards Interstate 20 along Highway 92, the GBI said. When the deputies spotted the suspect, he turned back towards the business driveway. The GBI said the suspect then hopped a chain-link fence and ended up in the backyard of a home located along 2049 Skyview Circle.
The GBI said the man was armed with a knife. Initially, the deputies tried to subdue the suspect using a Taser but was ineffective. The GBI said the suspect moved towards one of the deputies leading the second deputy to open fire.
"When deputies approached the individual, he made an assault upon the officers with a weapon at which time he was shot and killed," the sheriff’s office wrote.
The deputies rendered first aid until medics arrived. The man was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. His name has not been released.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been asked to investigate the use of deadly force by the deputy. The agency will turn over the finding to the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office upon the investigation’s completion.
"Sheriff Tim Pounds reviewed the incident and stands behind his deputy’s actions 100%," the sheriff’s office posted.
This is the 52nd shooting involving a local law enforcement official the GBI has been asked to review this year and the second one on Thursday. Earlier in the day, the Worth County Sheriff's Office asked the GBI's assistance in investigating a shooting involving a deputy and a suspect along Highway 82 near County Line Road.
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