The Atlanta police officer who shot and killed a man outside the Atlanta Public Safety Annex on Thursday night was hanging out of the man’s car at the time, according to the GBI.
The shooting occurred about 7:40 p.m. in the 3000 block of Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway.
Two police detectives in plain clothes had just arrived to the public safety annex to file administrative paperwork when they noticed Deaundre Phillips in a car in the parking lot, Atlanta police Deputy Chief Darryl Tolleson said at a news conference Thursday.
As the detectives got out of their car, they “smelled an odor of marijuana and approached a vehicle from which it was apparently emanating,” Atlanta police said in a statement Friday.
Phillips was inside the car, but got out and talked to the officers.
"During the conversation, (Phillips) lunged back into the vehicle and attempted to flee,” GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said.
One of the detectives was partially in the passenger side of the vehicle at the time.
“The vehicle fled with the detective halfway in the vehicle,” Miles said.
It is not clear if Phillips had a gun. Police believe one shot was fired.
No officers were injured.
