A man who first turned a gun on himself and then at officers was fatally shot by Athens-Clarke County police Friday evening, officials said.
Officers were called to a home in the 5000 block of Smokey Road, about six miles from downtown Athens, to investigate a stolen vehicle at about 11:45 p.m. Police officers worked to locate someone at the residence, eventually running into two men in a shed, the GBI said.
One man, later identified as 42-year-old Clinton Eli Burkhalter, had his hands behind his back and refused to show officers his hands, the state agency said. He eventually pulled out a gun and put it to his head, according to the GBI.
Officers quickly took cover and the GBI said Burkhalter fired several shots into the ceiling of the shed. Officials said Burkhalter then came out of the shed while pointing the gun at officers.
Burkhalter fell to the ground, gun still in his hand, after being shot by two officers, the GBI said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Athens-Clarke County police asked the GBI to investigate the incident, which marks the third officer-involved shooting that the agency is investigating this year. The GBI investigated 112 officer-involved shootings in 2022. That is 12 more than the year before.
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