The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is looking into an officer-involved shooting in Sandy Springs, as first reported by local authorities. LaAndre Marktanne Thomas, a 27-year-old man from Jackson, MS, was fatally shot during an encounter with Sandy Springs Police on Thursday. No officers were reported injured during the incident.
According to the Sandy Springs Police Department, the situation unfolded after a woman, walking her dog, called 911 to report an assault. She provided a description of her assailant, which was corroborated by video footage from nearby cameras. Officers arriving at the 8000 block of Dunwoody Place found Thomas at a MARTA bus stop. It is during this engagement with the police that Thomas produced a handgun, leading to an officer firing their weapon, the GBI statement indicates.
Thomas was immediately transported to a hospital, where he was listed in critical condition but succumbed to his injuries. His body has since been transferred to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
Consistent with protocol, the GBI is conducting an independent investigation into the shooting, and the ensuing findings will be turned over to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. This step is standard in cases of officer-involved shootings and serves to provide an impartial review of the circumstances that led to such a fatal encounter. There has been no indication from officials about the officer's identity or the specifics of the recorded altercation that preceded the shooting. All further details are pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation.
