CENTERVILLE, Ga. (AP) — A man died and a police officer was wounded following a predawn standoff in the parking lot of a Georgia mall on Friday.
Investigators say the standoff began when Centerville police were dispatched to the parking lot of a fitness center located in the Houston County Galleria around 3:45 a.m.
They found Michael Dwayne Bell, 37, of Fitzgerald, Georgia, parked there in a semitruck. Police in nearby Byron were looking for Bell because they said he had been involved in a domestic altercation, Centerville police said.
Officers attempted to arrest Bell, but he refused to come out, Centerville police said. When they tried entering the truck, Bell fired a gun from inside, wounding a Warner Robins police officer, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.
Officers shot back, and then fell back to set up a perimeter and wait for a SWAT team, Centerville police said. Officers later tried to communicate with Bell but got no response, GBI said.
When officers entered the truck around 6:20 a.m., they found Bell dead. It was not clear if Bell shot himself or if an officer shot him. A GBI spokesperson said Friday that the agency could provide no further information at this time.
The wounded Warner Robins officer was taken to a hospital and is expected to recover.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will conduct an autopsy as part of its inquiry. When the investigation is complete, the Houston County district attorney will decide whether any criminal charges are merited.
The mall is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Atlanta in middle Georgia.
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