Local
Gainesville officer-involved shooting leaves man critical; GBI investigating
A domestic violence call at a busy Gainesville shopping center escalated into a shootout early Thursday, leaving a man in critical condition and sending a woman and two officers to the hospital. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has taken over the case.
GAINESVILLE, Ga. â A man is fighting for his life after exchanging gunfire with Gainesville police officers responding to a domestic violence call near New Holland Market on Jesse Jewell Parkway early Thursday morning, authorities said.
The two officers involved and a woman at the scene were also taken to a hospital, according to police. The officers are physically unharmed, but the emotional toll is another matter.
"There were two officers involved; they are doing well physically. Unfortunately, I can't say they're doing the same mentally," Gainesville police Capt. Kevin Holbrook said.
According to Holbrook, 911 callers reported a physical altercation between a man and a woman at the shopping center. When officers arrived, they heard several gunshots and confronted the suspect.
"The Gainesville officers did show up. They did receive gunfire, and they returned fire," Holbrook said.
Police shot the man multiple times and transported him to the hospital, where he remained in critical condition Thursday morning. The woman was also taken to the hospital; her condition was not immediately available.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is now handling the case, standard practice for officer-involved shootings in Georgia. The GBI will conduct an independent investigation and turn its findings over to the district attorney's office.
The shooting occurred at a busy commercial area along Jesse Jewell Parkway, a major thoroughfare in Gainesville. The shopping center remained closed for hours as investigators processed the scene.
No further details about the identities of those involved or the circumstances leading up to the gunfire were released Thursday. The GBI has not commented publicly on the investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI or Gainesville police.