State officials have identified a man they say was seriously injured early Tuesday after he shot and wounded a police dog and was shot in return by a Gwinnett County police officer.
Levi Bryan, 17, of Oakwood, remains in critical condition at Northside Gwinnett Hospital after he was hit during the exchange of gunfire, the GBI said in a news release. The dog, K-9 Kai, was hit multiple times and remains stable at an animal hospital, the GBI said.
Police responded to a home on Pine Lane around 10:20 p.m. Monday for an aggravated battery call, but the suspect fled before they arrived, a police spokesperson said in a news release.
According to the GBI, Bryan took a gun to the house and threatened multiple people inside, including his girlfriend. The occupants of the house were able to force Bryan to leave, but he could still be seen walking behind houses in the neighborhood off Ga. 124, the GBI said.
A helicopter and K-9 units were called to help in the search, and the man was found in a wooded area not far from the home, spokesperson Cpl. Ryan Winderweedle said.
“The male fired upon approaching officers, striking a police K-9 dog,” Winderweedle said in the release. “After being fired upon, an officer returned fire, striking the male.”
Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department
Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department
Officers performed first aid on Bryan before he was taken to a hospital.
Kai is a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois that performs dual roles as a patrol and narcotics K-9 officer, police said. The dog has worked with Gwinnett police for less than a year.
The GBI said it will investigate both Monday night’s aggravated assault incident and Tuesday morning’s shooting. Agents and police investigators remained at the scene overnight collecting evidence.
This is the 52nd officer-involved shooting the GBI has investigated in 2022. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also tracks officer-involved shootings that don’t involve the GBI, and those numbers sometimes differ from the GBI’s tally.
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