A southwest DeKalb County standoff with a gunman that lasted more than eight hours ended Friday with the suspect fatally shot to death by a police officer.
"The suspect in question is deceased at the scene as a result of a fatal gunshot injury following an encounter with one of our SWAT officers," DeKalb police spokeswoman Mekka Parish told Channel 2 Action News.
Parish said numerous attempts to reach a peaceful resolution, from negotiations to the use of tear gas, were unsuccessful. The man fired gunshots "continually and indiscriminately at our officers," endangering police and residents, she said.
Police said they would not identify the suspect until his next of kin had been notified.
The incident began about 9 a.m. when a neighbor went to the man's home in the 3500 block of Warbler Drive to ask if he could borrow a lawnmower, Channel 2 reported.
"First knock, I didn't hear anything," Cleveland Davidson told Channel 2. Then, he said, a "blast come through the door, whoomp!"
Davidson ran home and called 911. Meanwhile, his neighbor came out into the street and stood there holding a gun. "He's like, ‘Dave, c'mon, I'm not going to hurt you' -- standing out there with a shotgun," Davidson said.
"As officers arrived, they were fired upon by an individual at that location, and immediately our officers pulled back," Parish said.
Police took up positions around the house, activated their SWAT unit, closed nearby streets to traffic, evacuated the closest residents including Davidson and warned others to stay indoors. The gunman, meanwhile, retreated into his house.
As the standoff continued, lockdowns were put into effect at nearby Southwest DeKalb High, Rainbow Elementary and Bob Mathis Elementary schools. They were lifted as students prepared to leave for the day between 2:15 and 3:10 p.m.
DeKalb Schools spokesman Rodney Jenkins said arrangements were made with parents of students living in the Boring, Warbler and Pheasant Road areas to pick up their children at the schools. School buses were not being allowed near the area of the standoff, as traffic was being redirected.
Parish said one officer has been transported "for evaluation" but provided no additional information about whether the officer had been injured during the standoff.
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