Police said a man being questioned at a hotel near suburban Atlanta shot two officers Sunday morning, killing one and seriously wounding the other, after inviting them into his room, according to Gwinnett County Police. The shootout occurred near Stone Mountain, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta, authorities said.
Gwinnett County Police Chief J.D. McClure told reporters that the suspect greeted the officers at the door to his room and invited them inside. McClure said the two officers then began discussing the scenario or the incident with him before the suspect produced a handgun and fired at the officers in what he described as an unprovoked attack.
McClure said Officer Pradeep Tamang, 25, died from his injuries at a hospital. He said Tamang was a native of Nepal and had joined the police department last year.
McClure said Officer David Reed was taken to a hospital and remained in serious but stable condition Sunday afternoon. He also said the suspect was shot by one of the officers and was undergoing medical treatment, adding that he was expected to survive.
Authorities said officers were originally dispatched to the hotel after a caller in another state reported that someone had fraudulently used their credit card there. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement that the front desk clerk directed the officers to the room of the person who had used the credit card.
In a separate post on X, Gov. Brian Kemp said the incident was a reminder of the dangers law enforcement faces daily and thanked officers who put themselves in harm’s way to protect Georgians. Kemp’s message came as Gwinnett County Police said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation would lead the investigation.
McClure said the case was being turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which he said typically handles shootings involving law enforcement officers. He said local prosecutors and the GBI would decide what charges to bring against Kevin Andrews, identified by McClure as a 35-year-old man from Decatur, Georgia.