An armed woman was killed and a sheriff’s deputy was injured during a struggle Tuesday night at a motorcycle dealership in Lithia Springs, officials said.
Shelby Jean Berkheimer, 41, was shot after refusing commands to drop her weapon when deputies responded to Mountain Motorsports on Thornton Road, according to the GBI. The Douglas County deputy’s injuries were not considered life-threatening.
Sheriff’s deputies were initially sent to the business about 7:45 p.m. after a 911 caller reported a robbery in progress. When they arrived, one of the deputies encountered Berkheimer, who was armed, GBI spokeswoman Natalie Ammons said.
The deputy reportedly told Berkheimer to drop her weapon and the pair began to struggle. During the scuffle, Berkheimer shot the deputy in the leg, Ammons said.
“During the incident, the deputy discharged his firearm,” she said in a news release. “Berkheimer was fatally wounded and died at the scene.”
The incident is the 18th officer-involved shooting the GBI has been asked to investigate this year. The 19th shooting was reported Wednesday morning in DeKalb County.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also tracks officer-involved shootings that don’t involve the GBI, and those numbers sometimes differ from the GBI’s tally.
