Forsyth County shooting: Manhunt ends with arrest after shots hit child's room
Armed suspect barricaded inside Forsyth County home
A domestic situation has prompted a large law enforcement response in Forsyth County. The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office tells us they believe there is an armed individual barricaded inside of a home off of Kelly Mill Road. This is a developing situation.
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. - Deputies arrested a felony assault suspect Tuesday afternoon following a large-scale manhunt and a SWAT standoff that sent bullets piercing through a child's bedroom window, according to the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office.
Forsyth County shooting
What we know:
A chaotic dispute at a home in the 1600 block of Kelly Mill Road triggered a massive law enforcement response at approximately 8:34 a.m. Tuesday.
Gunfire erupted between known parties, with multiple bullets striking a vehicle and penetrating a neighboring home where a child was sleeping.
Deputies quickly located a woman at a nearby business at Bethelview and Kelly Mill roads alongside the bullet-ridden car.
Authorities issued an immediate shelter-in-place order for neighborhood residents and closed Kelly Mill Road between Johnson Road and Barrett Downs Drive.
SWAT house search
The backstory:
The dispute involved two men who both ended up in custody by Tuesday afternoon.
The victim, James Treadwell, ran from the gunfire but was tracked down near Buford Dam and Nuckolls roads, where deputies arrested him on outstanding warrants out of Henry County.
Believing the gunman, Jason Simmons, was barricaded inside a Kelly Mill Road home, Forsyth County SWAT and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Drone Team swarmed the property.
While teams recovered a firearm inside, Simmons had already slipped away, prompting a tracking operation utilizing K-9 units from Johns Creek, Cherokee County, and the Department of Natural Resources.
Neighborhood suspect captured
What's next:
The hourslong manhunt came to a peaceful conclusion around 2 p.m. after a local resident phoned in suspicious movement in her backyard.
K-9 teams flooded the property and took Simmons into custody without serious incident.
Officials lifted the shelter-in-place order and reopened Kelly Mill Road shortly after the arrest. Simmons is currently being interviewed by major crimes detectives and faces a felony charge of aggravated assault, with additional charges expected.
Multi-agency response
What they're saying:
"This individual endangered the lives of multiple citizens today," Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman said, adding that the suspect will face a local jury. Freeman extended his gratitude to the six outside agencies that rushed to assist, stating, "I am truly proud of the dedication of our FCSO Deputies who were not leaving the scene without this suspect being taken into custody."
Investigation gaps
What we don't know:
Authorities have not yet released the specific motive behind the initial dispute or the relationship between the individuals involved. It remains unclear how many total shots were fired during the encounter or what exact charges Treadwell faces in Henry County.