Prosecutors will seek death penalty for man accused of shooting Gwinnett officers
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Prosecutors have confirmed they plan to seek the death penalty against a 35-year-old man accused of shooting two Gwinnett County police officers, killing one of them and leaving the other with severe injuries.
What we know:
The plan to seek the death penalty was announced during a preliminary hearing on Tuesday for Kevin Andrews, who allegedly opened fire on Senior Officer Pradeep Tamang and MPO David Reed at a Stone Mountain area hotel on Feb. 1.
Andrews' case was also transferred to Gwinnett County Superior Court during the hearing.
The backstory:
Tamang and Reed had gone to the hotel in the 1700 block of East Park Place Boulevard after receiving a report that someone had fraudulently booked a room.
Andrews invited the officers into the room to speak further. Tamang and Reed were notified that Andrews had active arrest warrants out of DeKalb County and went to arrest him.
That is when Andrews allegedly opened fire. Both officers were rushed to the hospital, where Tamang died from his injuries.
Reed was reportedly recovering well after undergoing surgery in February.
Dig deeper:
Andrews faces several charges, including malice murder and felony murder.
He has a lengthy criminal history, including three pending cases in DeKalb County, where he is accused of trafficking more than 400 grams of methamphetamine and other drugs.
A judge granted Andrews' bond in connection with the cases over prosecutors’ objections, according to court records. He then missed an April 2024 court appearance, and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.
RELATED:
- Gwinnett police identify officer killed, second officer wounded in hotel shooting
- Man with long criminal history charged in Gwinnett officer killing
- Gwinnett officer Reed 'doing well' after surgery following hotel shooting
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office and prior FOX 5 reporting.