A man was fatally shot after an hourslong SWAT standoff at an Augusta motel, according to the GBI.
Goldie Bellinger, 39, of Williston, South Carolina, died in the incident, which started about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at a Super 8, GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said Thursday in a news release.
Richmond County sheriff’s deputies were sent to the motel on Washington Road near I-20 for a wellness check, according to the release. Bellinger, who was a guest of the motel, barricaded himself inside his room and refused to speak to deputies.
One of the deputies noticed Bellinger had a gun, Miles said. At some point, Bellinger pointed it at the deputies, according to the GBI.
The Richmond SWAT team responded to the scene and tried to negotiate with Bellinger, but he started shooting at them, Miles said. Three SWAT members returned fire, and Bellinger was hit.
The SWAT team took Bellinger out of the room, and emergency medical services tried to provide aid to him. However, he died about 11:30 p.m.
Bellinger’s body was taken to the GBI Crime Lab for an autopsy. No officers were hurt in the incident.
The GBI was called to investigate the fatal shooting. The investigation is the 30th of its kind that the agency has opened in 2020, Miles said.
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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