DeKalb County Police were involved in a late-night shooting at an apartment complex in Stone Mountain, sparking an investigation that is still developing. According to a news release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, cited by FOX 5 Atlanta, officers responded to a domestic disturbance just before midnight on Sunday at the East Ponce Village apartments.
At the scene, a 22-year-old man was found in the parking lot with a gun on the ground nearby. The GBI states that, the encounter escalated when the man, who appeared to be unrelated to the initial domestic disturbance call, did not comply with an officer's order to step away from the gun and get down on the ground. An officer then discharged their weapon, injuring the man. Following the incident, he was transported to a local hospital where he is reportedly in stable condition and expected to survive, no officers were injured during the encounter.
Witnesses in the vicinity gave accounts of the tense moments. FOX 5 Atlanta shared statements from a neighbor named Ceri Ross, who saw the police cars rushing to the complex as he was returning home, and another local, Rahiem, who heard the shots while on his balcony, reflexively commenting, "Dang!" upon hearing the gunfire.
Further details provided by 11Alive revealed that the man had approached the officer after failing to comply with orders, which preceded the shooting. The GBI's independent investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and the case file will eventually be reviewed by the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office.
The name of the injured man has not yet been made public by authorities. In addition to the GBI's investigation, the DeKalb County Police Department’s Internal Affairs and the Criminal Investigation Division are conducting parallel inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
