A man was shot Thursday morning after he allegedly opened fire on officers at his northwest Georgia home.
According to Floyd County police, drug task force and SWAT officers went to the home on Kingston Highway about 6:30 a.m. to serve a search warrant for drugs and weapons. The wanted man, identified by the GBI as 44-year-old Michael Lee Spears, had barricaded himself inside.
When the officers made entry, they were met with gunfire. Carlos Ribot, a Floyd County officer assigned to the SWAT unit, returned fire, and Spears was wounded.
Spears was stabilized by officers at the scene and taken to Floyd Medical Center. His injuries are not considered life threatening.
Floyd police said Spears was “a known gang member.”
The investigation has been turned over to the GBI, which was called in around 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
Floyd police said Friday Ribot has been placed on administrative leave, which is standard protocol after an officer-involved shooting. The department will also conduct its own internal review to determine if the five-year police veteran made any training or policy violations.
— Please return to AJC.com for updates.
Officer-involved shootings in 2019
The incident is the 35th officer-involved shooting investigation the GBI has opened this year. 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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