Man dies after shootout with Elbert County sheriff’s deputies
A man died Wednesday night after barricading himself inside a trailer and starting a shootout with Elbert County sheriff's deputies, according to the sheriff's office.
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A man died Wednesday night after barricading himself inside a trailer and starting a shootout with Elbert County sheriff’s deputies, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies responded to reports of a domestic violence incident with injuries at a home off of County Road 77 at about 6:26 p.m. Wednesday, Elbert County Undersheriff Dave Fisher said.
When they arrived at the home, deputies found an armed man outside of a trailer who refused to drop his gun. Fisher said the victim of the domestic violence call lived in the house and the armed man, who has not been publicly identified, lived in a trailer on the victim’s property.
Deputies shot less lethal “baton rounds” at the man when he refused to drop his weapon and he retreated into the trailer, Fisher said.
Baton rounds are designed to impact or stun instead of penetrate and include bean bags and rubber, plastic, wooden or foam bullets.
Negotiators and deputies attempted to get the suspect to come out of the trailer, but he refused, Fisher said. That’s when Elbert County’s SWAT team responded to the scene.
After an hour of failed negotiations, deputies decided to fire pepper ball rounds into the man’s trailer through a window, Fisher said.
The man shot at officers outside the trailer in response and three deputies returned fire, Fisher said. The shootout happened at about 9:42 p.m.
It’s not clear if the man was struck by the deputies, but when law enforcement flew two drones into the trailer about two hours later, at about 11:50 p.m., they found the suspect lying dead on the floor, Fisher said.
Elbert County coroner officials will identify the man and his cause of death after his next of kin has been notified. It’s currently unclear how he died.
No deputies were injured.
The three deputies involved are all on administrative leave pending the results of an investigation by the 23rd Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team.
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