Knife-wielding man shot by Atlanta officer after domestic dispute on Lenox Road: GBI

Atlanta police shoot man armed with knife on Lenox Road

In a startling confrontation on Lenox Road, Atlanta police shot 59-year-old Randy Gilliam after he allegedly forced his way into a woman's home and later lunged at officers with a knife.

ATLANTA - Authorities have released the name of the 59-year-old man shot by officers in an armed confrontation with police officers along Lenox Road in Buckhead on Tuesday afternoon.

What we know:

Randee Gilliam, 59, of Lithonia, was shot by police officers in the 3200 block of Lenox Road following a domestic dispute call.

Officers were called out around 2:16 p.m. to an apartment complex for that call. According to Atlanta Police Major Peter Malecki, a woman reported that a man she had recently met became violent. Investigators say the man damaged her apartment door in an attempt to get inside her residence. 

Police provide update after man shot by police

An Atlanta police officer shot and wounded a 59-year-old man who allegedly lunged at him with a knife. The GBI is now leading the probe into the officer-involved shooting on Lenox Road.

The woman was able to flee the area and meet with officers. A spokesperson for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the woman told officers she saw the man doing drugs before he began to act erratically. 

A maintenance man would later see the man with a crowbar and a knife. That worker fled into a leasing office and locked the door to seek safety.

Gilliam would leave the property, but returned a short time later, reportedly armed with a knife. 

"Officers gave him multiple commands to drop the knife. He refused," Malecki said during a press briefing. "They attempted to use less lethal options (a Taser). Those didn't work. The male still continued to refuse to drop the knife, at which point he did lunge at one of the officers with the knife." 

One of the four officers on the scene discharged his firearm, striking the man twice. Malecki described the interaction as "short," noting the suspect was aggressive toward officers almost immediately when they got onto scene.

The officer who discharged their weapon has been placed on administrative leave, which is standard practice following an officer-involved shooting. 

No officers or bystanders were injured during the incident.

SKYFOX 5 flew over the scene around 4 p.m. to find the roadway blocked by police officers in front of the Wiltshire Condominiums.

Lenox Road remained closed for several hours as investigators processed the scene. 

Police said that while the man and woman were not in a long-term relationship, they had met prior to Monday. "We believe it was more than today, but it was not a long-term friendship or relationship," Malecki said. 

What we don't know:

The identity of the officer who discharged their weapon has not been disclosed.

What's next:

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says it has been asked to investigate the incident.

What they're saying:

There are homes on both sides of Lenox Road where the shooting happened. Some could hear the gunfire. 

"We heard a couple of pop pops, like a couple of gunshots. We didn't know what was going on. We saw the tape go up and then stepped outside and saw someone getting carried out on a stretcher," said Sean Tackett. 

A stretch of Lenox Road was shut down for hours as the investigation was underway.  People like Spencer Ward couldn't get home. 

"We didn't know the details other than this was a cop-involved shooting," said Ward.