A SWAT standoff in southwest Atlanta on Friday morning turned out to be a cautious response to a suspect already dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.
A wanted man was pulled over at a car wash on Metropolitan Parkway near Casplan Street just before 7:15 a.m., according to Atlanta police. When officers approached the white sedan to take the man into custody, they saw he was holding a gun and quickly retreated, police said.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
As the officers backed away, they heard a single gunshot from inside the car, police said.
The officers established a perimeter around the car and shut down Casplan Street. A SWAT unit responded and officers were able to determine that the driver had died from the gunshot wound, police said.
The man was later identified by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office as 25-year-old Demorian Kitchen.
Homicide detectives were sent to the scene and continue to investigate the circumstances around the incident.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
Casplan Street was shut down for more than four hours during the investigation. The location is near the entrance to Atlanta Metropolitan State College, but spokeswoman Sheila Tenney said the school’s security had been in touch with police and there was no impact to the campus.
Atlanta police did not provide details about Kitchen’s prior arrest warrant. Kitchen was buried in Valdosta on April 15, according to his obituary.
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