Man dead after opening fire on DeKalb deputies at Lithonia home

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Authorities are on the scene of a barricade situation on Young Road on January 21, 2026. 

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A SWAT team responded to a scene Wednesday night where a person had barricaded themselves inside a home on Young Road after firing shots at law enforcement during an eviction. 

What we know:

This happened right before school let out for the day at Redan Middle School in Lithonia. Staff and students were placed on lockdown after the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office reported shots were fired at deputies during that eviction notice at a home near the school. 

Authorities say the man then barricaded himself inside the home and refused to leave. A SWAT team was sent to assist with the barricaded person. 

At some point, the man opened fire on the officers and they returned fire. The man was critically injured and transported to a hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. 

Police cruisers block Young Road near Redan Middle School in DeKalb County due to a SWAT standoff on Jan. 21, 2026. (FOX 5)

What they're saying:

Charlisa Dixon, who has lived in the neighborhood for nearly 28 years and was away from her home when the situation unfolded, has not been able to return because police have blocked the road to her house. 

She explained that her husband was texting her to come home, but when she reached the entrance to her road, her neighbors' cars were lined along it. 

"I didn't know until these nice ladies just told me that they [police] were escorting people to their homes until an explosion fire happened, and when that happened, they stopped," Dixon said. "So now I'm stuck."

"This is so sad, I don't even know. I'm trying to go to work tomorrow, and I don't have my clothes with me," Dixon added. "This is crazy. I can't get to my husband."

What we don't know:

Law enforcement has not released the identity of the man barricaded inside the house or how long he has been living at the residence.