Father, teen son choke kidnapper, shoot him 5 times during attempted robbery

A kidnapper was choked and shot five times during a deadly confrontation after he forced a father and son to drive to an ATM at gunpoint early Wednesday, DeKalb County police said.

Police don’t expect to file charges against Roy Farrell, 39, and his 16-year-old son, who were first confronted by the suspect at The Oaks at Stonecrest Apartment Homes on Evans Mill Road.

“This was a justified shooting (self-defense),” DeKalb police spokeswoman Shiera Campbell said.

The father and son were questioned by police, but were released.

The suspect initially approached the son outside his home and asked for marijuana, according to a police report. When the son, who was not identified, said he didn’t have any, the suspect told the teen to ask his father for a cigarette.

Just as Farrell was about to get the cigarette, the suspect pulled the gun on the son, aimed it at his head and told him not to say anything. When Farrell walked out of the home, police say the suspect demanded his wallet. Farrell, seemingly unprovoked, then told the suspect where he banked.

They drove from the apartment to a SunTrust Bank on I-20 at Panola Road and backed into a parking space, Lt. Shane Stanfield said.

But when they got there, the suspect made one mistake: he sat his gun down by his side.

Farrell reached for the gun and told his son to choke the suspect, police said.

As the son choked him, police say Farrell shot the suspect five times. One of the shell casings was found above his head.

Police were called about 2:15 a.m. Crime scene tape still surrounded the bank just after 6 a.m. The medical examiner was on the scene, too.

The suspect has not been identified.

A kidnapper was killed early Wednesday after forcing a man and his teenage son from their DeKalb County apartment to a SunTrust Bank, police said. JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

A witness was getting money from the ATM when she saw the truck back into the parking space and became suspicious, Stanfield said. She observed the struggle, heard the gunfire and ran to a nearby Burger King to call for help, according to Channel 2 Action News.