Bond denied for man accused of shooting Roswell officer more than 12 times

“His first two rounds go into the upper part of the officer not covered by the officer’s vest. The officer falls. So then at that point, this defendant walks carefully around leaning over him and fires more than a dozen shots into the officer,” prosecutors said.

Espinoza’s attorney argued his client should be given an ankle monitor and released to a mental health facility, Channel 2 reported.

But prosecutors said Espinoza was aware while speaking with police after the shooting and had the mental capacity to buy a gun while on bond and shoot at the officer, according to the news station.

For those reasons, Judge Emily K. Richardson determined Espinoza was a flight risk and a danger to the community and denied the request for bond.

The evening of the shooting, Labonte was investigating a report of a suspicious person in a parking lot near the ACE Pickleball Club on Market Boulevard off Holcomb Bridge Road. When he approached Espinoza for questioning, Espinoza “pulled a handgun and fired multiple shots at the officer,” according to the GBI, which is investigating the incident.

Labonte was rushed to a hospital but later died.

He was the first law enforcement officer from Georgia to be killed in the line of duty this year. In 2024, six Georgia officers died on the job.

— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.