GBI probes police shooting of knife-wielding man near Buckhead apartments

ATLANTA - A 59-year-old man is in critical but stable condition after being shot by an Atlanta police officer following a confrontation involving a knife on Lenox Road.

What we know:

Officers were called out around 2 p.m. at an apartment in the 3200 block of Lenox Road after a report of a domestic dispute. According to Atlanta Police Major Peter Malecki, a woman reported that a man she had recently met became violent and damaged her apartment door.

The suspect left the scene but returned a short time later, reportedly armed with a knife. He then confronted a maintenance worker, who fled into a leasing office and locked the door to seek safety.

"Officers gave him multiple commands to drop the knife. He refused," Malecki said during a press briefing. "They attempted to use less lethal options. 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.

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.

What we don't know:

Officials have not specified how or where the man and woman first met, only noting it was a "recent" acquaintance and not a long-term relationship. "We believe it was more than today, but it was not a long-term friendship or relationship," Malecki said.

It remains unknown which specific "less-lethal options" were deployed by officers, such as a Taser or pepper balls, or why they failed to subdue the suspect before the shooting occurred.

Police have not yet released the name of the 59-year-old man or indicated if he had a prior criminal record or any history at the Lenox Road location.

Investigators are still working to determine the exact time the maintenance worker or leasing office staff placed the second call for help.

The identity of the officer who discharged their weapon has not been disclosed, nor has it been confirmed if the officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the GBI investigation.

What's next:

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

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