SUGAR HILL, GA – A 17-year-old boy reportedly armed with a knife and a handgun was fatally shot by police in Gwinnett County on Thursday afternoon. Police stated that during a standoff, the boy, threatening self-harm and harm to others, charged at them.
The local police received a 911 call from the teenager himself around 4:26 pm, who announced that he was near the roundabout junction of Whitehead Road and West Broad Street in Sugar Hill. Sgt Collin Flynn of Gwinnett County Police revealed that the teenager had disclosed he was carrying a gun and a knife and was a potential danger to both himself and others.
Upon receiving the call, the Gwinnett County Police Behavioral Health Unit was alerted. Shortly after, a mental health clinician entered into a conversation with the teenager, who confessed to being in a state of depression and harboring suicidal thoughts.
Upon reaching the location, officers found the teenager wielding a knife around the described roundabout. They stationed their vehicles further away for safety and repeatedly ordered the boy to discard the knife.
Despite persistent attempts by the officers and the clinician to bring about a peaceful resolution, the situation took a drastic turn. The teenager, defying orders, began a rapid charge at the officers, knife in hand.
This action spurred the officers to fire at the advancing teenager, who managed to swing the knife in their direction but was taken down by at least one bullet.
Unfortunately, the teenager did not survive and was pronounced dead at the scene. While a knife was recovered there, police are not clear if the boy was indeed armed with a gun as initially claimed. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has taken over the proceedings to inquire into the police’s use of lethal force. Neither the identities of the police officers involved nor that of the deceased teenager has been published yet.