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Man shot and killed by East Point officer

EAST POINT, Ga.,None — East Point police said a veteran officer shot and killed a man Thursday after he made a threatening gesture towards the officer.

Authorities were serving a "knock and announce" search warrant looking for drugs at a home on East Point Street when the shooting occurred.

Family members identify man shot as 54-year-old Dwight Person. They said he was visiting his nephew, who lives at the house, when police arrived.

"Ain’t no way in the world he would have fought with an officer, and that's from the bottom of my heart," Person’s mother, Verdelle, said as she waited for answers from investigators at East Point Police Headquarters.

In a statement, East Point police wrote: "During the execution of the warrant, multiple perpetrators were located inside of the residence and one of these perpetrators made a threatening gesture toward one of the officers. This gesture placed the officer in fear for her safety, thus forcing her to fire her weapon one time, striking the perpetrator. Medical attention was immediately sought for the perpetrator and after being transported to a local hospital, he was pronounced deceased."

The Person family questions the officer’s actions.

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"I don't know how she could have shot him," Vardelle Person said.

At times, an angry crowd gathered around the police tape as Georgia Bureau of Investigations agents looked over the scene for evidence. It is standard policy for the GBI to be called into situations where police shoot someone.

"When they went in the door, I see a boy in light blue push the door open and heard a ‘pow,’ and the boy fell like this," said witness Sherry Rowell.

Person’s mother describes her oldest son as a humble army veteran who was not aggressive.

"Somebody bust your door in and somebody running, that [would] scare a lot of people, and they might move around," she said.

As the GBI investigation continues, the family must wait for answers.

East Point police said the officer involved in the shooting has been placed on paid administrative leave.