A fatal shooting on a Gwinnett County dirt road that was under investigation as a homicide is now believed to be an act of self defense, police said Thursday.
The shooter in Tuesday’s incident on Stanley Road was identified, but Gwinnett police are not publicly releasing the person’s name. Officials said the victim and shooter knew each other and that a fight preceded the gunfire.
“Detectives are investigating this incident as a self-defense shooting,” police spokesperson Cpl. Ryan Winderweedle said. “No charges are being filed at this time.”
Around 10 p.m. Tuesday, a passerby spotted a man’s body lying in the middle of the tree-lined dirt road. Stanley Road is tucked about a half-mile behind the busy Winder Highway that feeds Ga. 316.
The victim, who was identified as 35-year-old Steven Thomaston of Lawrenceville, had been shot at least once and was pronounced dead at the scene, police confirmed.
Officials did not say what Thomaston and the shooter were fighting about or why the two were in the remote area.
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