The Henry County police officer who shot a Stockbridge man after being dispatched to the wrong address is a 17-year law enforcement veteran with extensive training, personnel records show.
Sgt. Patrick D. Snook fired the bullet that tore through David Powell’s neck early Wednesday morning, killing the 63-year-old grandfather. Snook has been placed on paid leave while the GBI investigates the tragic shooting.
Powell was pronounced dead Thursday afternoon at Atlanta Medical Center. GBI spokesman Scott Dutton said Snook and two colleagues were sent to 690 Swan Lake Road by mistake. Powell, according to family members, armed himself after seeing a shadowy figure pass by his bedroom window around midnight Tuesday.
Pistol in hand, Powell raised his garage door, where he encountered the police and, according to his wife, the shooting started. The officers said they fired at Powell only after he ignored orders to put down his weapon. Powell never fired his pistol, Dutton said.
Snook was hired by the Henry County Police Department in 1999. He resigned in March 2004 but rejoined the force a little more than a year later, according to his file with the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.
His resignation coincided with a public reprimand for an undisclosed sanction, the only blemish on Snook’s resume. He was promoted to sergeant in 2010. Snook has accumulated nearly 1,000 training hours since becoming an officer.
