A man fatally shot himself Thursday evening on top of Stone Mountain after firing off several rounds, officials said.
Stone Mountain Park quickly filled with police officers around 5 p.m. after reports of shots being fired. Park police spokesman John Bankhead told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that witnesses reported hearing about six shots and some bullets ricocheting, setting off a manhunt throughout the park.
Some of those witnesses were able to get a description of the armed man. As the search was underway, a long line of vehicles queued to get out of the park. Bankhead said visitors weren’t immediately allowed to leave, and some who matched the suspect’s description were even briefly stopped for questioning.
The man was then spotted on top of the mountain, according to Bankhead. He was not publicly identified.
“When the officers approached, he crossed the fence on top of the mountain. And he asked the officers, ‘Are you going to shoot me?’ They said, ‘No.’ And then he shot himself,” he said.
Bankhead said he isn’t sure what the man’s motive was, but confirmed no one else was injured. Officials are now working to determine if anyone else was involved in the incident.
“We have suicides now and then of people jumping off the mountain, but nothing like this that I’m aware of,” he said.
A backpack belonging to the man was located. Bankhead said there were various items inside, including a magazine for a pistol.
Jeff Waters of Snellville went to the park for an evening hike with his girlfriend, Sarah Johnson. They’d gone to see the sunset and the passing comet from the mountaintop.
The park seemed quiet when Waters visited the restroom at the trailhead while waiting for Johnson. But by the time he stepped outside, he said he saw five or six officers start up the mountain with assault-style rifles.
“I came back, called her and was like, ‘It doesn’t look like today’s our sunset day,’” Waters said.
By then, they had no choice. Authorities had closed the entrance gates.
“She couldn’t get in; I couldn’t get out,” Waters said.
Officers from as close as Clarkston to as far away as Sandy Springs and Lawrenceville responded to the park, which is right outside the city of Stone Mountain and off Robert E. Lee Boulevard. No shots were fired by law enforcement, Bankhead confirmed.
The GBI will be asked to investigate incident.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution limits reporting on suicide because of concerns that attention can increase the likelihood of suicide in vulnerable individuals. We are reporting limited information in this case because the shooting took place in a public park.
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