The following public information release was distributed by the Cobb County Police Department:
Marietta, GA (September 15, 2022): On Wednesday, September 14, 2022, the Cobb County Police Department was involved in an officer-involved shooting on Sandtown Road in Marietta.
The preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 8:15 p.m., Cobb County Police officers were dispatched to a domestic dispute at 1826 Sandtown Road, Marietta, GA. After meeting with the complainant, officers were confronted by a male armed with a knife. The male lunged toward the officers while armed with a knife, and he was then shot. Officers on the scene rendered aid to the male, and he was transported to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased by Wellstar Kennestone medical personnel.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has assumed responsibility of this investigation, and they will provide any updates or additional information regarding this case.
The GBI’s role in officer-involved shootings
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation routinely investigates the shooting of individuals by police officers, as well as any time an officer discharges a firearm while on duty, at the request of the police agency involved in the shooting.
Natalie Ammons, the Deputy Director of the GBI’s Office of Public Affairs explained to us how the system works.
Police agencies are not required to request outside investigation of officer involved shootings, and there is no formal agreement between the GBI and local police departments.
But police agencies make the request so that an independent agency does the investigation in an incident involving their own officers.
The investigations are carried out by Special Agents in a regional office within the area where the police agency is located. Cobb County, and much of the rest of metro Atlanta, is in the GBI’s Region 10, based in Conyers.
In Region 10, officer involved shootings and corruption investigations are the primary investigations Special Agents do, while in more rural areas with fewer police resources the agents handle a wider range of criminal investigations.
There is no special unit or division that conducts the investigation of officer involved shootings.
The announcements of the investigations can be found at the GBI’s press release web page.