A seven-hour SWAT standoff ended early Friday when Gwinnett police entered a home near Lawrenceville to find that the suspect wasn’t inside.
The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Russell Fowler, was taken into custody when he returned to the house later in the morning.
Channel 2 Action News reported that the incident began late Thursday when a man fired shots during an altercation with the family that lives in the home on Castle Drive.
“Apparently, he became upset over something, grabbed a weapon and fired off a few rounds,” Gwinnett police Cpl. Edwin Ritter told Channel 2.
No one was injured by the gunfire, and the homeowners and their children ran outside. The SWAT team was called in after police learned that the gunman has a previous conviction for assaulting an officer.
When SWAT officers finally entered the home around 5 a.m. Friday, the suspect, whose name has not been released, was not inside. “It’s believed the suspect exited the house unseen when officers initially arrived on scene,” Ritter said.
“Officers cleared the scene at approximately 6:30 a.m., Ritter said. “Approximately 45 minutes later, the suspect returned home. Police responded back to the home and took the suspect into custody.”
Fowler was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center for treatment of a cut to his hand, then was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail, charged with aggravated assault, felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of simple battery.
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