An 18-year-old who was killed after firing at Gwinnett County officers last week was on probation for a weapons charge and was told not to have a gun as terms of his sentencing, court records show.
Robert Samuel Craig Lusk of Stone Mountain was arrested by DeKalb County school police in May 2019 and charged with two counts of carrying a deadly weapon in a school safety zone and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, jail records show.
On Oct. 30, 13 days after his 18th birthday, Lusk pleaded guilty to one weapon charge and was sentenced as a first offender to two months of probation, court records show. The other two charges were dropped.
The DeKalb school system did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for more details about Lusk’s arrest.
As part of his probation, Lusk was required to undergo random drug testing and complete 50 hours of community service. He was also told not to have a gun.
“The defendant must not possess any firearms while on probation,” Lusk’s court records state.
But Thursday afternoon, Lusk did have a handgun and fired at Gwinnett officers, according to the GBI.
The incident began when officers saw a couple standing beside a vehicle at Intown Suites on Willow Trail Parkway, near Norcross, investigators said. The two went inside a room and an officer checked the tag on the vehicle, which had been reported stolen, the GBI said.
When the two came outside, an officer attempted to question them about the vehicle and the two ran in different directions. Gwinnett officers began a search for the pair with the help of a police dog.
Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department
Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department
“The search spanned a large area and eventually K-9 Blue detected a scent that led the officers back to the wooded area behind the lodge,” the GBI later said in a statement.
The dog was released toward Lusk, who fired at officers, Gwinnett police previously said. Gwinnett officers returned fire. During the shooting, both Lusk and K-9 Blue were struck. Both died from their injuries.
The GBI conducted an autopsy Friday on Lusk. Those findings were not released due to the ongoing investigation.
A necropsy was also performed on Blue, according to police. It was not known Tuesday whether investigators had determined who shot the dog.
The woman seen with Lusk was not located, according to the GBI.
On Tuesday, a procession was held for Blue, the second Georgia K-9 killed in the line of duty this year. The dog was laid to rest in a private ceremony at Oak Rest Pet Gardens in Bethlehem.
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