A Cobb County police officer fatally shot an armed man at an event site early Saturday, according to multiple sources.
About 2:24 a.m., an incident occurred at the Elegant Point Event Hall in the 300 block of Riverside Parkway in the Austell area, GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said in a statement.
The situation was a fight at a “sweet 16” birthday party, Channel 2 Action News reported.
The officer responded to the scene when he encountered a person with a weapon, according to Miles.
“The subject discharged the weapon multiple times,” Miles said. “The officer discharged his weapon, fatally wounding the subject.”
The victim was identified as 30-year-old Eduardo Valencia, Miles said.
Valencia was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the GBI said.
Witnesses and family members say man shot and killed by Cobb Police officer fired a gun into the air to break up fight at a Sweet 16 party pic.twitter.com/4JzmYCGYrb
— Steve Gehlbach (@SteveGWSB) May 27, 2017
No officers were injured, the GBI said.
The officer was off-duty and working security in full uniform at a QuikTrip across the street when he was flagged down, according to Channel 2.
“There was a threat presented to the officer, at which point he shot the suspect,” officer Alicia Chilton told Channel 2 at the scene.
A witness told Channel 2 that the victim, who was his uncle, was trying to break up a fight when he fired shots into the air.
Marco Genchi told Channel 2 his uncle didn’t fire at the officer.
“No, he didn’t point the gun at no police,” Genchi said.
Genchi also told the television station the officer shot his uncle without warning.
“He didn’t say nothing, didn’t say put your hands up,” Genchi said. “Nothing; just shot him.”
The GBI is investigating, which is routine in officer-involved shootings. The results will be turned over to the Cobb County District Attorney’s office for review.
The GBI investigated 30 officer-involved shootings through April 30, Miles said, and 78 for all of 2016.
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