The shooting death of a man Friday night by DeKalb County police is the 100th officer-involved shooting being investigated by the GBI this year, officials said.
Uniformed officers responded to a report of a stolen vehicle parked in the driveway of a home in the 900 block of Autumn Crest Court about 11 p.m., GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said. As officers were investigating, they encountered a man inside the home.
Officers identified themselves and gave the man, 36-year-old Marando Salmon, several commands, but Miles said he did not comply. Initially, GBI agents said Salmon reached for a handgun before he was shot by an officer. After a further investigation, Miles said they now believe an officer opened a bedroom door and Salmon threw an object.
“Although the officer did not see Salmon touch a firearm, he was reaching for a nearby item,” Miles said. “Later, agents recovered a handgun from the room he was in.”
Salmon was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died. No officers were injured.
The GBI has been asked to conduct an independent investigation.
About 14 hours prior, a man walking on a Gwinnett soccer field about 8:30 a.m. with a “replica gun” was shot by police, officials said. The man died in the hospital, where officers recovered a note that was addressed to Gwinnett police. The replica gun, which authorities said the man pointed at officers before being shot, was found at the scene. The Gwinnett incident marked the 99th officer-involved shooting the GBI has been asked to investigate this year.
Last year, the state agency investigated a total of 100 officer-involved shootings by Dec. 27. By Nov. 4 of last year, the GBI had investigated 83 such shootings.
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