A Douglas County deputy opened fire Monday after a stabbing suspect took off in his patrol car and drove toward him, the GBI said.
Deputies responded to a break-in at a home in the 5000 block of Lake Field Drive about 7:30 a.m., the sheriff’s office said Wednesday. Kilpatrick Key, who serves in the U.S. Army Reserve’s 3rd Medical Command out of Forest Park, forced his way inside the residence and stabbed a woman in front of children, according to officials.
“The initial arriving deputy entered the residence upon hearing the victim’s cry for help,” Douglas County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Elmer Horn said.
Key, 40, knew the family, Horn said, and had a temporary protective order filed against him that prohibited him from being at the home or making contact with anyone who lived there.
According to the GBI, the deputy located Key on the second floor of the home. He jumped from an interior balcony, ran out the front door and got into the deputy’s patrol car, authorities said.
“Key drove the patrol car toward the deputy, who was struck by the front of the vehicle,” the release said. “The deputy fired at the car during the incident.”
Key then led deputies on a high-speed chase through the neighborhood, but crashed the patrol car in the 3700 block of Reynolds Road, authorities said. He ran from the wreck and was captured by deputies a short time later.
The woman found stabbed inside the home was taken to Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center, where she remains in critical condition. The deputy struck by his patrol car suffered minor injuries. He was taken to Wellstar Cobb Hospital and later released, according to the GBI.
Key faces multiple felonies in connection with the incident. His charges include three counts of aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated battery, first-degree home invasion, aggravated stalking, felony obstruction, interference with government property, theft by taking, fleeing or attempting to elude and three counts of third-degree cruelty to children, deputies said.
He was denied bond on Tuesday and remains held at the Douglas County Jail, records show.
Authorities are also investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred early Tuesday in South Georgia.
A Grady County sheriff’s deputy pursuing a pickup truck that took off from a traffic stop shot and injured the driver early Tuesday morning in neighboring Mitchell County, according to the GBI.
Authorities said the incident began shortly after 1 a.m. when the deputy tried to stop the truck for equipment failure. According to the initial investigation, the truck driver drove away and the deputy gave chase.
At one point during the chase, both cars stopped and the deputy attempted to arrest the driver of the pickup, authorities said. According to the GBI, the truck drove toward the deputy and he fired multiple shots, injuring the driver. The chase continued despite the suspects' injury.
The pickup truck finally stopped at the intersection of Ga. 97 and Mt. Olive Road, where deputies from both Mitchell and Decatur counties were waiting for the suspect, the GBI said. Once the driver of the pickup truck was in custody, it was discovered that they had been shot, the GBI said.
A pistol was reported stolen in Grady County was also recovered at the scene, according to the GBI.
The suspect was taken to the hospital, but the GBI has not released their condition or identified the suspect. No sheriff’s deputies were injured during the pursuit
The incidents in Douglas County and South Georgia were the 74th and 75th officer-involved shootings the GBI has been asked to investigate this year, agency spokeswoman Nelly Miles said.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also tracks officer-involved shootings that don’t involve the GBI, and those numbers sometimes differ from the state agency’s tally.
