Two criminal suspects from Alabama were arrested following a standoff with several Georgia law enforcement agencies on Sunday, Feb. 27.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called around 5:15 p.m. to assist the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office with the investigation, according to GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles.
"A Ball Ground police officer attempted to stop a vehicle occupied by two subjects that met the description of a BOLO from Alabama," Miles said in a press statement, noting the two men had been involved in several crimes in Alabama. "The vehicle did not stop and was pursued by the Ball Ground PD Officer onto the LAT Sportswear campus."
The two men abandoned the vehicle and then ran into woods behind the LAT building, according to Miles.
She said not only did the suspects fire on the officer from Ball Ground, but they also shot at deputies from the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office who had responded to the scene.
"Due to the evolving situation, multiple area SWAT Teams responded to the scene to secure the area, locate and apprehend the subjects," Mile said. Georgia State Patrol helicopters also were called to the scene.
"During the standoff with the subjects, multiple shots were fired at responding law enforcement officers," Miles said.
No officers were injured during the exchange of gunfire.
Miles said one of the suspects, later identified as Hunter Caleb Kirkland of Taylor, Alabama, was shot by a Cherokee County SWAT member after Kirkland failed to comply with verbal commands. She said Kirkland was armed with a rifle.
Kirkland was hospitalized for treatment of his injuries.
The second suspect, identified as Jeffrey Leighton Danner Jr., 30, of Ariton, Alabama was discovered in a wooded area behind the sportswear warehouse. He was taken to a hospital for treatment and released to officers. Danner is being held at the Cherokee Adult Detention Center.
At this point, both suspects face charges of aggravated assault. Mile said the two face additional charges in Alabama.
Both Danner Jr. and Kirkland face aggravated assault charges at a minimum in Georgia. The investigation is ongoing. Both subjects face additional charges stemming from their activities in Alabama.
Miles said this is 13th officer-involved shooting that the GBI has been requested to investigate in 2021.
