An officer-involved shooting in Rex, Georgia, left an 18-year-old dead after a break-in at a vacant home on Monday. The deceased has been identified as Hakim Al-Nas. Conflicting accounts have emerged from the Clayton County Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) regarding the precise unfolding of events that led to Al-Nas's death, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The incident occurred at the 3200 block of Chippewa Drive after neighbors reported seeing a group of teens entering the vacant property through a window. According to the Clayton County Police, when officers arrived, "one of the 18-year-old subjects fled from the house, armed with a firearm. As the armed subject ran towards officers who were searching for other individuals, the subject was fatally shot by an officer." FOX 5 Atlanta quotes the police account noting, Al-Nas was carrying a weapon and "did not drop the weapon as he “ran toward officers who were searching for other individuals," and was then shot by the officer giving the commands.
Three other teenagers were found at the premises, two 18-year-olds and one 16-year-old, and were taken into custody, though their identities have not been disclosed at this time. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the shooting, indicated that they recovered a handgun at the scene. Details surrounding the incident remain under review, with both agencies looking to assemble a clearer picture of the encounter.
The officer who discharged their weapon has been placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation unfolds, a standard protocol in officer-involved shootings. The results of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's independent investigation will eventually be submitted to the Clayton County District Attorney’s Office for further examination. No other injuries have been reported in the incident, and there has been no release of information on whether the teens had prior criminal history. A statement obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution added, "The officer who shot the teenager has been placed on paid administrative leave, and the GBI is investigating the deadly use of force."
