Cobb County

Police identify suspect, woman who died after hours-long standoff inside Marietta home

MARIETTA, Ga. — After a barricade situation that spanned hours on Saturday, the Marietta Police Department has released new details regarding the incident.

On Saturday, around 4 p.m., Marietta officers were called to Amy Drive after dispatch notified them about a vehicle with a stolen license plate parked on the street.

Charles McPhilamy, public information officer for MPD said officers began searching the area based on the alert.

When officers approached the vehicle, the driver, Michael Allen Reno, 37, left and went inside the home at 258 Amy Drive.

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As their investigation continued, police learned Reno was a person of interest in connection to a theft regarding a large amount of guns and cash from a home in Paulding County.

Because Reno refused to leave the home, the SWAT team was activated, along with the assistance of the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office.

Information about Reno continued to be uncovered throughout his refusal to surrender to the police. According to the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office, Reno is accused of taking over $18,000 in cash and approximately $20,000 in handguns and rifles from his brothers’ home.

As police continued to try to negotiate Reno’s surrender, a gun could be seen from outside the house, according to police. Authorities went inside the home around 10:15 p.m. where they found Reno’s body barricaded in a back room with multiple weapons. A woman was also lying on the ground near him, both dead.

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On Sunday, Marietta officials identified the two as Courtney Dobberson-Watts, 35, and Michael Reno, 37.

According to officials, Dobberson-Watts was renting the house and the family told police they were in a relationship.

Evidence indicates the incident was a murder-suicide.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Marietta Police Department at 770-794-5300 or Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta at 404-577-8477 if you wish to remain anonymous.

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