A 16-year-old boy was shot in the leg Friday after he opened fire on a Gwinnett County officer during a foot pursuit and the officer fired back, according to police.
The teenager was still being treated at a hospital Monday but will face criminal charges upon his release, according to Gwinnett police spokesperson Cpl. Michele Pihera. The officer was not injured, she said.
Police were called to the teen’s apartment in the 1400 block of Chase Lane in the Norcross area shortly after 6:30 a.m. His mother said the boy had a handgun and was “possibly under the influence of drugs,” Pihera said, and that she was concerned for her safety.
As police arrived, the mother pointed out the son in the parking lot, and an officer began to follow him.
“As the officer was rounding one of the apartment buildings, there was a small foot pursuit,” Pihera told reporters from the scene. “The officer was telling the subject to put his weapon down, and at one point the subject turned around and fired multiple shots at the officer. The officer returned fire, striking him in the leg.”
Police found one gun on the 16-year-old and located another nearby, one of which was reported stolen, according to Pihera. A SWAT medic arriving at the scene helped to apply a tourniquet to the boy’s leg before he was taken to a hospital. It appeared he was struck once and may have also suffered a graze wound, she said.
Once he is released, the teen will be booked into the Gwinnett jail on charges of aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer, felony obstruction and theft by receiving stolen property related to the stolen gun. He will also face charges related to possessing the gun as a person under the age of 18 and during the commission of a crime.
The officer involved in the shooting was taken to a police precinct for questioning as part of the department’s administrative investigation. The GBI, which usually investigates officer-involved shootings in the state, was not requested to perform an independent investigation into the incident.
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Pihera acknowledged that while officers are trained in firearm use, certain calls like domestic incidents can be unpredictable.
“Certainly, we don’t expect to utilize any kind of deadly force on a call, but unfortunately the officer had to utilize his firearm,” she said.
