A man shot and killed when he opened fire on Hall County sheriff’s deputies after a six-hour SWAT standoff has been identified, authorities said.
James Christopher Manus, 41, was killed late Saturday night.
“After a six-hour standoff, during which a hostage negotiator attempted to communicate with Manus, Manus fired at SWAT Team members while standing in the doorway of the residence,” GBI spokeswoman Natalie Ammons said in a statement. “Multiple deputies and SWAT ... members returned fire at Manus, resulting in his death.”
MORE: Deputies shoot, kill suspect in Hall County after SWAT standoff
Hall County authorities were first called to the 3100 block of Truelove Road in Gainesville Saturday about 6 p.m. after several neighbors said Manus pointed a gun at them. He also set fire to his neighbor’s well house, Ammons said.
When deputies attempted to speak with the man on his front porch, he “barricaded himself inside the residence and refused all attempts at communication,” the sheriff’s office said.
SWAT was called in after Manus was seen with a handgun. He began firing from inside his home about 11 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office.
An hour later, authorities said, he again fired at deputies from the front doorway and was shot.
No deputies or bystanders were injured.
The GBI is conducting an independent investigation at the Hall County agency’s request, which is standard protocol in officer-involved shootings.
Officer-involved shootings in Georgia this year are on track to pass the 88 recorded in 2017, according to the GBI. The Hall shooting is the 72nd such investigation the GBI has opened in 2018.
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It is the third in metro Atlanta in one week.
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