A DeKalb County shopping center turned into an unexpected crime scene Wednesday morning when a robbery suspect was shot and critically injured following an altercation with police. The suspect, identified as 28-year-old Delano Gaynor of Lithonia, was wounded near a preschool on Evans Mill Road, according to the FOX 5 Atlanta report.
As DeKalb County officers were searching for the armed suspect, they zeroed in on Gaynor, meanwhile, an unnamed witness who was present at the Dollar General during the incident recalled stating "Officer said put your weapon down, and he didn’t," and "He shot twice, and the police officer started shooting back at him." the witness reported to FOX 5 Atlanta. Police engagement quickly escalated to gunfire exchanged between Gaynor and the officers just before 9:30 a.m.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) indicated that Gaynor is now in stable condition after being rushed to the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds. It is yet unconfirmed who fired the first shot during the confrontation, according to the WSB-TV coverage of the event.
Video evidence surfaced capturing the aftermath of the encounter shows police officers with guns drawn surrounding the injured man, and the video obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta displays the tense moments resulting in Gaynor's arrest. Authorities confirmed that no police officers were harmed during the incident and a firearm was discovered at the scene attributing a peculiar detail to a witness saying, "It was a foot chase, and that's his shoes, he literally ran out of his shoes," when speaking to FOX 5 Atlanta.
While the suspect's motives for the initial alleged robbery remain under investigation, the GBI is leading the probe into the circumstances surrounding the shooting, and no further details regarding potential charges have been released to the public at this time.
