ATHENS, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating after Athens police shot and killed a man who allegedly pulled a gun on officers while they were responding to a fight between neighbors.
The incident happened shortly after 8 p.m. Saturday at a location in the 150 block of Royale Road, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department said in a statement.
Officers were sent to investigate a noise complaint call between two neighbors, officials said.
When police arrived, they were told one neighbor had threatened to shoot the other neighbor during the dispute, officials said.
A little while later, officers found the neighbor involved and tried to question him. The 45-year-old man, identified as Nan Zhao, pulled out a handgun and fired at the officers, police said.
The officers returned fire, and Zhao was hit. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died, police said.
Both officers involved were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the GBI, officials said.
This is the 72nd officer-involved shooting investigation the GBI has opened in 2019 and the sixth in Athens.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also tracks officer-involved shootings that don't involve the GBI, and those numbers sometimes differ from the GBI's tally.
This article was written by Asia Simone Burns, with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.