A Henry County hotel was evacuated Monday after a man walked in carrying at least one gun, opened fire and shot out the lobby door, police said.
No guests or employees of the Home2 Suites by Hilton were injured, but the suspect, identified as Shermaine Jernine Perkins, was carried out of the Mill Road hotel on a stretcher after reporting lacerations to his limbs, police Capt. Joey Smith said.
Smith said Perkins, 43, was injured while running through a woodline on his way to the hotel. Perkins is in custody after being treated at Piedmont Henry Hospital.
The incident began about 6:45 a.m. when Perkins fired at least one shot, shattering the glass of the lobby door, and then went to the third floor, Smith said. He forced his way into a room by gunpoint, then went to the second-floor stairwell, where he was confronted by officers and arrested, Smith said.
Perkins, who may have had a long gun and a handgun, said people were chasing him, according to Smith.
Smith said Perkins appeared to be under the influence or may have been suffering from mental health issues.
Authorities are looking into another possible crime scene based on their observations of Perkins, who was not a guest at the hotel.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
“Basically we’re just going to be spreading out now, trying to check his histories, his address history, to determine if there’s another incident somewhere,” Smith said. “We just don’t know right now.”
Perkins faces home invasion and aggravated assault charges.
Andy Fish, who moved from Tokyo to Georgia two weeks ago, is staying at the hotel temporarily with his wife and two sons. He was at work when he said he got a message from one of his sons that the hotel was evacuated.
SWAT officers went room-to-room as part of a sweep of the hotel, which is located near McDonough. The evacuation ended, and Fish was allowed to return to his room.
— Staff writer Raisa Habersham contributed to this article.
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