COBB COUNTY, Ga. — On Wednesday, Cobb County police shot a suspected shoplifter in a mall parking lot.
Cortez Eatmon died at the hospital after the incident at Town Center Mall. It’s the sixth officer-involved shooting situation in Cobb County this year.
A man says he was there and saw how it happened. He’s sharing his account of what he saw happen on Wednesday afternoon.
Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell was at Town Center Mall where the shooting happened on Wednesday.
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Eatmon, a 25-year-old from Alabama, was accused of shoplifting at the mall.
His family told Newell they’re not ready to talk about what happened just yet.
Kyler Ross said he was he was in the parking lot of Town Center Mall when he saw police shoot Eatmon on Wednesday afternoon.
“At least six to eight shots, if not more,” Ross said.
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He told Channel 2 Action News he saw a man running across the parking lot before police shot him.
“I see this guy running with a bag,” Ross said.
Investigators say a department store employee called the Cobb County Police Department about a shoplifting incident.
When police got to the mall, they said they saw a man walking across the parking lot who matched the suspect’s description and when he saw the officers, he ran, refusing to comply with multiple commands to stop.
When an officer tried to subdue Eatmon by using a Taser on him several times, the effort was unsuccessful.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting.
According to the agency’s preliminary findings, "Officers continued to give verbal commands until Eatmon produced a handgun and an officer shot toward Eatmon. Officers immediately rendered aid to Eatmon, and he was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased."
Ross says he saw how everything happened.
“They told him don’t move after they shot him,” Ross said. “He was already down.”
A Channel 2 Action News photographer was at the mall with Newell soon after the incident unfolded. At the crime scene, the photographer and Newell saw a gun on the ground but investigators haven’t confirmed if it belonged to Eatmon.
“Does it have to be that extreme for shoplifting?” Ross asked. “Are you supposed to end up dead because you’re shoplifting?”
In a statement, Cobb County Police Chief Dan Ferrell said in part that “This incident is understandably concerning for our community and our thoughts remain with all those affected. We are thankful that no officers were injured and remain committed to transparency.”
Ross said watching the whole thing was painful.
“Why is this becoming a thing over and over again? It’s already a thing, it’s been a thing. So, it hurts and hurts even more to see it play before your eyes,” Ross said.
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