Police Kill Man Armed With Knife In Burning House In Georgia
A woman was found dead with burns and three people were rescued by officers who broke into the home.
Authorities in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, said they shot and killed a man inside a burning house early Thursday.
Police in Locust Grove, a suburb about 30 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta, responded to a report of a house fire with people trapped near the 3:40 a.m. Thursday.
Officers broke down the back door of the home and encountered a man carrying a large knife. According to Police Chief Derrick Austin, they tried to persuade him to drop the weapon, but when he refused, the officers shot and killed him.
One woman dead, three survivors
Upstairs, officers found a woman dead with burns in a bedroom. Authorities have not yet confirmed her cause of death.
In another bedroom, they found two adults and a child, who were barricaded. They were rescued and taken to a safe location.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has assumed the investigation into the police shooting, as is standard practice. The Henry County District Attorney will evaluate whether criminal charges are warranted against the officers involved.
No officers were injured in the operation. Firefighters extinguished the flames shortly afterward.
The identities of the victims have not yet been released, and it is not clear whether all of the people involved were related.