Police shot and killed an armed teenager Friday evening after he charged at officers near downtown Sugar Hill, authorities said.
The suspect, identified as 17-year-old Brayden Hemphill, called 911 and reported that he was armed with a gun and a knife and wanted to hurt himself and others, according to the GBI. No officers were injured in the incident.
Dispatcher alerted the department’s Behavioral Health Unit, and a mental health clinician called the teenager back as the unit responded to the scene, Gwinnett County police spokesman Sgt. Collin Flynn told media near the scene. While officers were en route, the teenager told the clinician he was suffering from depression and was suicidal, police said in a statement.
The suspect was found holding a knife in the road at the roundabout between Whitehead Road and West Broad Street in Sugar Hill, the GBI stated. The clinician and officers on the scene negotiated with the suspect for several minutes, according to Flynn.
Officers told the teen to drop the knife, but he instead advanced toward police while allegedly yielding the weapon toward them, the GBI added. Hemphill continued to refuse commands and was then shot by officers, the state agency confirmed. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Flynn said the shooting took place near downtown Sugar Hill, just southwest of Buford. The suburban downtown area is home to a theater and several restaurants and bars. Roads in the area have been shut down since the shooting and will remain closed as the investigation continues, Flynn said.
The GBI will lead an independent investigation into the officer-involved shooting.
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