A 38-year-old man was shot and killed Monday afternoon after allegedly hitting one police officer with an SUV, Gwinnett County police said.
Two police officers fired shots at Rodney Oneil Pike of Buford before he could strike a second officer, Cpl. Jake Smith said. Pike died at the scene in the 5300 block of Pass Court in Sugar Hill, Smith said.
None of the officers involved were seriously injured, but the officer struck by the vehicle was transported to a hospital for evaluation.
Police were dispatched around 3:40 p.m. Monday after a caller reported Pike was in the area and had active warrants out of Forsyth County. The caller’s name and relationship to Pike were not released.
“The caller also advised that Pike was a drug user and would run from police,” Smith said in an emailed statement.
Pike was on the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office “Most Wanted” list for failing to appear in Superior Court on charges of theft by taking a motor vehicle and burglary, both felonies, the sheriff’s office said. Pike also had an outstanding warrant for allegedly violating probation.
Gwinnett officers arrived on Pass Court shortly before 4 p.m. and ordered Pike to stop, but he instead ran to a parked vehicle, Smith said. Officers used a Taser on Pike but were unable to incapacitate him, according to police.
Pike then started the vehicle and struck an officer, Smith said.
“The vehicle was headed directly towards another officer,” he said.
Two officers fired their duty weapons at Pike at 4:01 p.m. and took control of the vehicle, according to police. Officers administered CPR and first aid to Pike until paramedics arrived, but the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, Smith said.
Pike was a father of three who no longer had drug problems, his sister told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Robin Pike said her brother was helping to renovate a house for her to live in across the street from other family members, and his criminal problems in Forsyth County were related to thefts of scrap metal.
“My brother had a big heart,” Robin Pike said. “He loved his family dearly. He would never hurt a soul.”
The two officers involved in the shooting were placed on routine administrative leave, Smith said.
The shooting remains under investigation by the police department’s Deadly Force Investigation Team, composed of members of the homicide unit, the district attorney’s office, the medical examiner’s office, the crime scene unit, and the internal affairs unit.
About the Author
