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Video shows lead up to shootout outside Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office headquarters

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Published  November 4, 2024 10:42pm EST
Gwinnett County
FOX 5 Atlanta

Gwinnett County Jail shooting involving deputies

The Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office released body cam and surveillance video of a shooting that took place outside the jail on Oct. 7, 2024. Emmanuel Patrick Bearden, 44, of Peachtree Corners, was charged injured and later charged.

The Brief

    • The Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office released an edited video detailing the shootout incident outside its headquarters involving suspect Emmanuel Patrick Bearden and deputies.
    • Bearden, exhibiting agitated behavior and wearing body armor, engaged in a tense exchange with deputies before retrieving weapons from his vehicle while his young daughter was present.
    • Deputies issued verbal commands and escalated to using lethal force, returning fire after Bearden began shooting, resulting in his injury and subsequent medical treatment; the daughter was unharmed.
    • Following the events, the Sheriff's Office consulted with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the District Attorney’s Office prior to releasing the footage to the public.
    • The shooting at the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office headquarters is under continuing investigation by the GBI.

ATLANTA - The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office released a video of an encounter at the agency’s headquarters that resulted in an exchange of gunfire between a man and deputies outside on Oct. 7. The video, edited by the sheriff's office, was released on Monday and shows a bizarre exchange between the man and deputies, followed by an escalation of events outside. 

The suspect, identified as Emmanuel Patrick Bearden, arrived at the headquarters around 3 p.m. with his young daughter. Deputies reported Bearden was visibly agitated and exhibited unusual behavior. They noticed Bearden wearing body armor as he passed through the building's X-ray station, prompting close monitoring. 

Deputy: "Are you armed right now?" 

Bearden: "Do you want to find out?" 

As he lifted his daughter into his arms to leave, Bearden appears to challenge deputies by asking, "Are you feeling squirrely, buddy?"

When Bearden returned to his vehicle, he placed his daughter in the backseat before retrieving weapons from inside the vehicle, according to authorities. 

The video shows him pulling a cover off a rifle and raising it into the air before holding his hands up. 

At that point, deputies rushed everyone inside the building to a secure area. A deputy is seen retrieving a ballistic shield and returning outside, where more deputies had arrived, one pulling a rifle from the back of his SUV. 

A team moved in on Bearden, issuing verbal commands, fully aware of the child in the car. 

The video pauses as Bearden reportedly began firing at deputies, but the audio continues with gunshots and deputies issuing commands. 

Deputies returned fire and struck Bearden. 

Medical aid was administered on-site, and he was transported to the hospital for treatment. 

The child was unharmed and was later released to relatives, as confirmed by officials. 

In the aftermath, Sheriff Keybo Taylor and command staff representatives consulted with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office about releasing the body camera footage. The edited video footage, with added markers and blurred portions to protect the ongoing investigation's integrity, was released publicly. 

The incident remains under investigation by the GBI.

The Source: The Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office provided the video this article is based on and supplemental details about it.