An armed man who was shot by an officer during a SWAT standoff in DeKalb County early Saturday has died, officials said.
Jeremy Haugabook, 36, of Lithonia, was taken to a hospital in critical condition but later died from his injuries, according to the GBI.
A teenage resident at the home in the 2300 block of Cragstone Court off Covington Highway called 911 around 3:35 a.m. about a burglary in progress that was later determined to be a domestic dispute involving a gun, the state agency said.
The caller stated they were texting with a resident who was hiding in the home and could hear his mother’s boyfriend yelling. He said he believed the boyfriend, later identified as Haugabook, was going to shoot her.
Police Chief Mirtha Ramos confirmed the suspect fired shots near where the woman was hiding inside the home, which caused damage to water pipes, prior to law enforcement arriving. Police said Haugabook was “experiencing a behavioral health crisis.”
“The female was being held against her will, against a man in the residence who had a weapon,” Ramos said.
When officers arrived at the scene, they got the resident out safely and attempted to negotiate with Haugabook. Ramos said the SWAT team was called when Haugabook refused to come outside.
The SWAT team negotiated with the suspect for another hour before deciding to enter the home, police said. At that point, Ramos said an arrest and search warrant had been obtained, and the woman had made it out of the home safely.
After officers entered the home, they approached Haugabook and ordered him to drop his gun, police said. He then pointed the gun at officers and was shot by one of them, the GBI said.
The GBI said no officers were injured during the incident.
Fred Witherspoon told Channel 2 Action News that neighbors were awakened shortly before 5 a.m. and told by police to evacuate the area.
“You just could basically see the officers when they entered in and out. They were in the unit for a long time before we heard any shot or anything,” Witherspoon said.
The GBI will conduct an independent investigation. Once completed, it will turn over its findings to the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.
It’s the 44th officer-involved shooting the GBI has been asked to investigate this yea and the 10th this month.. By this time last year, there had been 55 such shootings in Georgia.
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