A SWAT standoff in Flowery Branch ended Saturday morning with an armed suspect being shot and killed by Hall County authorities.
The incident began just before 6:45 a.m., when the Hall County Sheriff's Office says a woman called
911 saying she had been assaulted inside her Samoa Way home, located near McEver Road.
"The initial investigation indicated the suspect threw the victim down a flight of stairs, causing her to suffer multiple abrasions and bruising," the Sheriff's Office said in a media release hours after the incident. "The suspect, who was armed with a handgun, also refused to allow the victim to leave the residence for a time."
The victim was eventually able to leave the residence, taking refuge inside an neighbor's home.
Authorities then spent more than two hours attempting to communicate with the suspect before deciding to call in the county SWAT team to continue negotiation efforts.
A perimeter was established around the residence, and negotiators were able to make phone contact with the unnamed suspect, who was said to grow "increasingly agitated" during negotiations.
"At one point, he exited the house naked, brandishing his handgun. The suspect fired multiple rounds into the woodline around the residence," the Sheriff's Office said.
Just before 12 p.m., the man reportedly aimed his weapon directly at SWAT officers, at which point two officers fired their weapons. The suspect was hit by their gunfire and died at the scene.
In accordance with agency protocol, the two deputies who fired their weapons are being placed on administrative leave, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was contacted to investigate the shooting.
“I always regret when these types of incidents happen, but our deputies did the difficult job they are called to do when there is a deadly threat,” said Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch. “I am thankful no one in the neighborhood was injured, and I’m thankful that our deputies went home safe today.”
