A five-hour SWAT standoff in south DeKalb County ended just before daybreak Tuesday when police took three people into custody for questioning in a Monday night slaying.
According to DeKalb police spokesman Lloyd Ruffin, officers responded to a home on Maypop Lane off Snapfinger Woods Drive around 8:30 p.m. in reference to a "person shot" call.
"Upon arrival, responding officers located a male who had been shot in the chest," Ruffin said. "The victim was transported to a local hospital where he later died."
About 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, the SWAT team was sent to a home several miles away in the 4600 block of Covington Highway, where a "possible suspect in the shooting was located," Ruffin said.
"Negotiations took place with occupants inside the residence," Ruffin said.
About 6:30 a.m., three adults surrendered to police "and are being detained for further questioning as it relates to the ongoing murder investigation," Ruffin said.
Covington Highway was closed between Glenwood and Mercer roads during the standoff, but reopened to traffic just before 7 a.m.
Police evacuated nearby neighbors, including William Vickers, for several hours.
Vickers told the AJC that an officer banged on his door about 3:20 a.m. “and told me I need to get all my family out because there was a SWAT standoff.
“He said he didn’t want anybody to get hurt in case bullets do fly, that’s the reason we’ve got to evacuate y’all,” Vickers said.
Vickers said he loaded his two daughters and two grandchildren into his car and drove to a nearby gas station to wait out the standoff.
Staff photographer John Spink contributed to this article.
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