A fatal police encounter in Snellville, GA has led to another investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), after officers shot and killed a man in the early hours of March 22. The confrontation occurred during a seemingly routine traffic stop gone awry, according to an official statement from the GBI.
The incident began when Snellville Police stopped a Hyundai Tucson driven by 36-year-old Rashawn Johnson of Tucker, GA. The vehicle was pulled over on West Main Street for operating without headlights. Johnson, with cellphone in hand, opened his window slightly and informed the officer that he wished to call his mother, according to information from the GBI's press release. Following protocol, the officer obtained Johnson's ID, returned to the patrol car, and requested backup.
Upon returning to Johnson's vehicle, the altercation escalated. Johnson did not comply with the officer’s commands to exit his vehicle, instead he kept the window mostly closed. An officer, whose identity has not yet been released, informed Johnson that he would be arrested for obstruction if he did not comply. Despite the warning, Johnson remained inside his vehicle.
In the moments that followed, the situation took a deadly turn. The officer, observing that Johnson had a weapon, opened the driver's door and commanded Johnson to drop the gun. Instead, Johnson fired his weapon, which prompted the officers to return fire. Johnson was hit by the gunfire, and the GBI's announcement confirmed his death at the scene. The exact sequence of events is still under scrutiny, as the GBI's independent investigation seeks to clarify the intricacies of the fatal encounter.
No officers were injured during the incident. An autopsy will be performed on Johnson by the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office. Once the independent GBI investigation concludes, the findings will be turned over to the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office for review.
