Teen shot by two Gwinnett County police officers, report reveals
Gwinnett County police are on the scene of an officer-involved shooting near West Broad Street and Whitehead Road in Sugar Hill on Aug. 23, 2024. (FOX 5)
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - New details were released on Friday in the investigation of a 17-year-old boy who was shot and killed by Gwinnett County police after threatening to harm himself and others last month.
In the incident report released by the Gwinnett County Police Department on Friday, the offense was described as an "assisted suicide."
Brayden Hemphill called 911 at around 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 23, threatening to harm himself and others. He told operators he was armed with a knife and a handgun. Officers responded to the roundabout at the intersection of Whitehead Road and West Broad Street, where the teen was located.
The incident report states as officers arrived, Hemphill was on the phone with a Behavioral Health Unit clinician, urging him to drop the weapons. Hemphill disclosed that he was suffering from depression and feeling suicidal but continued to refuse commands to disarm.
Two officers at the scene spotted Hemphill with a knife in his hand shortly before he sprinted towards them, the incident report reveals. After repeated commands to stop, the officers opened fire, striking Hemphill.
Medics responded and pronounced Hemphill dead at the scene.
Gwinnett County police are on the scene of an officer-involved shooting near West Broad Street and Whitehead Road in Sugar Hill on Aug. 23, 2024. (FOX 5)
Police revealed a gun was not found on Hemphill, but he was armed with the aforementioned knife.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has launched an independent inquiry into the incident, as is standard procedure following officer-involved shootings in the state.
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