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Officer shoots armed man on Hull Road in Athens

By
Updated  May 12, 2026 2:13pm EDT
Athens-Clarke County
FOX 5 Atlanta

The Brief

    • An Athens-Clarke County police officer shot an armed man early Tuesday morning after responding to reports of gunfire on Hull Road.
    • The GBI said the man also shot the gun after pointing it as his own head. 
    • No officers were injured during the encounter, which occurred shortly after midnight.
    • The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has taken over the primary investigation into the shooting, per standard procedure.

ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY, Ga. - An Athens-Clarke County police officer shot an armed man early Tuesday morning, according to police.

What we know:

Officials said the officer responded to the 1000 block of Hull Road around 12:43 a.m. after receiving reports of a man firing a gun. The initial calls indicated that multiple gunshots had been heard in the area.

When officers arrived, they encountered a man who was holding a firearm. Officers asked the man to put down the gun multiple times. However, the man then pointed the gun at his head, according to GBI. The man pulled the trigger, and an officer also shot him. 

The man died from his injuries. No officers were injured during the incident.

What's next:

Per department policy, the officer has been placed on administrative leave. The GBI and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department's Office of Professional Standards are investigating the shooting.

The man's body will be taken to the GBI crime lab for autopsy. 

What we don't know:

The GBI has not said if the man died from a self-inflicted gunshot or from the officer's bullet. Officials also haven't identified him. 

The Source: Information in this article came from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. This article has been updated with information from the GBI.

Athens-Clarke CountyNewsCrime and Public Safety