State agents said John McPherson Sr. raised a long gun toward officers before two officers fired.
MCDONOUGH, GA — An 89-year-old McDonough man was hospitalized Friday after Henry County SWAT officers shot him while serving a search warrant at a King Mill Road home, state investigators and police said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the shooting at the request of the Henry County Police Department. The agency identified the wounded man as John McPherson Sr. and said no officers were injured. The shooting followed a June 25 aggravated assault case and unfolded as SWAT officers entered a home in the 1000 block of King Mill Road about 6 a.m. Friday.
Investigators said officers were executing a search warrant when they encountered McPherson holding a long gun. Officers gave verbal commands for him to drop the weapon, but McPherson did not comply and retreated into a bedroom, according to the GBI. The agency said McPherson then came out of the bedroom and raised the long gun toward officers. Two Henry County officers fired, striking him. Henry County Police Lt. Andra Sykes said, “During the execution of those two warrants, shots was fired. One suspect was injured.” McPherson was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Police had gone to the home as part of a case involving two people wanted on aggravated assault and other charges, according to local reporting from the scene. Authorities had not released the names of those two people by Friday evening, and it was not clear whether they were inside the home when officers arrived. The GBI also had not released McPherson’s condition beyond saying he was injured and transported for medical care. Investigators said their findings were preliminary. They did not say how many shots were fired or whether McPherson fired the long gun.
Neighbors described a loud start to the SWAT operation in the quiet Henry County area. Dan Williams, who lives nearby, said he heard a boom around the time officers moved in. “Oh, it was a boom and when I came outside you could smell gunpowder,” Williams said. Another neighbor said the noise was sudden and frightening. Williams said officers blocked people from getting closer to the scene as police worked around the home. He also said he saw an officer remove an infant from a vehicle near the scene. Reporters saw someone receive a child’s car seat at the police line.
The shooting added to the list of officer-involved shootings under review by state agents in Georgia this year. In such cases, the GBI typically gathers evidence, interviews witnesses and officers, reviews body camera or other recordings when available and prepares a case file for prosecutors. The agency said its independent investigation will be turned over to the Henry County District Attorney’s Office when complete. Prosecutors will then review the file and decide whether any further legal action is needed.
Family members were still seeking answers Friday. A woman at the scene told a reporter the man shot by officers was her father and said she was trying to learn what happened. Police tape and patrol vehicles remained around the King Mill Road home as investigators worked through the scene. Officials had not announced charges against McPherson, had not said whether the original warrant targets were arrested and had not released a timeline for completing the state review.
The GBI investigation remained open Saturday. The next public milestone is expected to be the agency’s completed case file, which will be sent to the Henry County District Attorney’s Office for review.
Author note: Last updated June 27, 2026.