Deputy Shoots, Kills Stabbing Suspect

A Douglas County sheriff’s deputy fatally shot a 24-year-old man wielding a knife at roughly 6:45 p.m. today at the QuikTrip gas station on Thornton Road, according to Douglas County Sheriff Phil Miller.

The man with the knife is suspected of stabbing another man moments before during a fight. His name has not yet been released by police.

The stabbing victim was taken to Grady Hospital with serious injuries, Miller said. The stabbing victim died at the hospital, Fox 5 Atlanta is reporting. His name also has not been released because the family hasn't been notified.

“A call was placed at 6:34 p.m. that there was a fight at the QuikTrip, and the officer arrived at 6:36 p.m.,” Miller said. The officer was uninjured.

The officer “saw a bleeding body on the ground,” he continued. “The man had apparently been cut with a knife. When the officer went around the building, he found a man wielding a knife. He talked to the man for several minutes in hopes he would put the knife down.

“Witnesses said they heard the officer say, ‘Drop the knife, drop the knife,’ but the guy didn’t do it and kept walking toward the officer. The officer had no choice but to fire on him, which resulted in a man being dead.”

Miller said the Georgia Bureau of Investigations has been notified because they handle all officer shooting incidents.

“The guy stabbed is in bad shape, according to the paramedics,” Miller said.

He said seven or eight witnesses were on the scene.

“Witnesses and a family member said the guy was schizophrenic or delusional,” Miller said. “It’s a terrible thing. I wish there was a better system to handle people like that so they’re not out on the street."