Chaos erupted at a Chamblee Wal-Mart as an officer-involved shooting left a local man in critical condition and injured two officers along with two firefighters. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has stepped in to probe the incident, which unfolded on Thursday when Tyrese Markee Simon, a 22-year-old from Atlanta, reportedly wielded a machete inside the store's pharmacy area.
According to the GBI's preliminary report, the drama began around 2:40 pm after Chamblee police received a distress call. An officer located Simon strolling along Chamblee-Tucker Road and attempted to engage. Ignoring the officer's repeated commands to stop and show his hands, Simon advanced towards the busy thoroughfare, concealing his hands beneath the shade of the elevated MARTA railway.
It was beneath this concrete canopy where Simon allegedly revealed his weapon and, turning towards the officer, charged with the machete in hand. The confrontation led the officer to fire multiple shots, striking Simon who remained combative, even as first responders attempted to render medical aid, assaulting them in the process.
The injured Simon was subsequently transported to the hospital in critical condition. As customary with such volatile encounters, the GBI will conduct an independent examination of the events to further comprehend the tragedy that unfolded on a day ordinary became peril. The findings will be turned over to the DeKalb County District Attorney for review.
