Deputies fatally shoot father in Paulding County domestic incident

GBI investigating officer-involved shooting in Paulding County

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was investigating a fatal shooting Friday involving Paulding County sheriff’s deputies at a home during a domestic dispute.

Spokesman Sgt. Ashley Henson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that deputies were in the living room of the home in the 200 block of Mount Vernon Church Road when a 39-year-old father pulled a gun from the small of his back and pointed at the deputies.

“Several deputies fired at him, striking and killing him,” Henson said. He said he did not know whether the father fired his weapon nor did he know how many shots were fired by deputies.

“He was told that the child was going to be removed the residence and at that point he pulled the gun from the small of his back,” the spokesman said.

Police later identified the father as William Tarrant, 39, of Dallas. Henson said Tarrant’s wife and their infant child were at the home at the time of the shooting but neither was injured.

Deputies arrived at the home in the Waterford Creek subdivision around 10:35 a.m. to assist with a domestic dispute, Henson said. Child welfare officials also had been called to assist the sheriff’s office’s Crimes Against Children Unit.

After being on scene for the majority of the day, it was determined that the child would be removed from the residence, the sheriff’s office said. The shooting occurred around 3:15 p.m., Henson said.

—Staff writer Steve Visser contributed to this article.