Man holding kitchen knife fatally shot by Sandy Springs officers, GBI says

A man holding a kitchen knife was fatally shot by police Thursday morning when he allegedly ran at Sandy Springs officers.

According to Sandy Springs police, officers were called to a report of an armed person in the 100 block of Northwood Drive around 6:15 a.m. When they arrived, the officers tried to get the man to drop the knife.

The man, identified by the GBI as Erick Cruz Ramirez, 32, of Sandy Springs, was threatening to harm himself, police spokesman Sgt. Sam Worsham told AJC.com.

“The officers ordered him to drop the knife. He did not,” Worsham said. “He kept approaching them in a threatening manner. The officers were forced to open fire and shoot the subject.”

He was taken to a local hospital, where he later died, according to the GBI. No officers were hurt during the incident.

A GBI agent photographs evidence at the scene of an officer-involved shooting in Sandy Springs. JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

The entire length of Northwood Drive was shut down between Roswell Road and Lake Forrest Drive during the investigation.

The GBI is investigating the officer-involved shooting, the 24th such investigation the agency has opened in 2019, spokeswoman Nelly Miles said.