Armed Adairsville man shot by SWAT during standoff with Bartow County deputies: GBI
BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. - The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has taken the lead in a deadly shooting involving a Bartow County deputy in Adairsville on Sunday afternoon.
Officials have confirmed that 60-year-old Chris Cochran of Adairsville was shot and killed in the area of Westley Mill Road near Highway 140.
At about 4 p.m., the Bartow County Sheriff's Office and a crisis intervention team responded to the home where Cochran had allegedly made death threats against his wife.
Cochran's wife was safely evacuated from the home where she took shelter with the intervention team at a neighbor's house. Meanwhile, Cochran allegedly ran back inside his home and proceeded to bust out the windows.
Officials said Cochran was known to have numerous rifles in his home, and allegedly threatened to kill the responding officers.
The SWAT team was then called to the scene.
Photos shared around the internet appeared to show an armored truck driving down the road and armed officers roaming the backyard.
The GBI alleged that Cochran pointed a long gun out of a second story window and threatened SWAT, the deputies and witnesses outside. That's when he was shot by a SWAT officer.
Cochran was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was taken to the GBI Medical Examiner's Office where an autopsy is expected to take place.
Residents of the neighborhood tell FOX 5 that they were shocked by the situation.
"I've lived here for 17 years. Nothing has ever happened, and when I see all the cop cars and all the patrols, and I tried to pull back into the neighborhood, and all I see is people telling me I can't drive this way or this way," Jada McCollum said.
"Adairsvile, Georgia is supposed to be a safe place, and today I did not feel safe," Caiden Churchwell said.
No officers were injured during the incident.