16-Year-Old Shot and Killed by Officer in Stockbridge, Georgia, GBI Investigating

A 16-year-old was shot and killed by a Henry County Police Department officer on Tuesday evening in Stockbridge, Georgia, according to a preliminary account released Wednesday by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The GBI said the encounter began at about 6:33 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, in the parking lot of a Krispy Kreme at 120 Hwy 138 W in Stockbridge. An officer saw two teenagers, ages 16 and 17, in the parking lot, approached them and spoke with them briefly.

What the GBI says happened

The officer gave verbal commands for the 17-year-old to take his hands out of his pockets, the GBI said. The 17-year-old then passed a handgun to the 16-year-old, who ran from the area with the gun.

The officer pursued on foot and gave verbal commands for the teenager to drop the gun, according to the GBI. The 16-year-old did not drop the gun, and the officer shot at him, hitting him.

Medical aid was provided at the scene. The 16-year-old was pronounced deceased on scene, the GBI said. A gun was recovered at the scene. No officers were injured.

Officials have not released the names of the teenager who died or the officer involved.

First reports from Stockbridge

FOX 5 Atlanta first reported the shooting on Tuesday evening, at about 6:30 p.m. near Daniel Drive and Walter Way in Stockbridge. The station reported that Henry County police confirmed an officer was involved in a shooting and that the GBI had been requested to investigate.

Atlanta News First also reported on Wednesday that the GBI was investigating a shooting involving an officer in Henry County.

Stockbridge is a city in Henry County, southeast of Atlanta. The address given by the GBI, 120 Hwy 138 W, is on a commercial road in the city, where the parking lot encounter took place on Tuesday evening.

Independent investigation under way

The GBI said it is conducting an independent investigation at the request of the Henry County Police Department.

When the investigation is complete, the case file will be given to the Henry County District Attorney's Office for review, the GBI said.

The GBI asked anyone with information to contact the GBI Atlanta Regional Investigative Office in Conyers at 770-388-5019. Tips can also be submitted through the GBI Tipline at 800-597-TIPS.

The preliminary account released on Wednesday, November 4, did not release the names of the teenager or the officer, and it gave no further details about the officer or the teenagers beyond their ages.

For families and residents in Stockbridge, the case now rests with state investigators. Henry County police asked the GBI to take the investigation, and the findings will go to the district attorney once the work is complete.