DA reviews actions in 2020 Douglas County officer-involved shooting

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. — The Coweta County District Attorney has completed its review of an officer-involved shooting from 2020.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was asked to investigate after a Douglas County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a home invasion, and was fired upon by Kilpatrick Key, 42 of Douglasville.

Deputy Andrew Cooke fired back, though Key was not injured according to the DA’s office.

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Additionally, Key pled guilty to “crimes...committed before and after Deputy Cooke shot at him,” entering the plea on May 12.

He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

The Coweta County DA was assigned the case after the Douglas County DA noted a legal conflict of interest. The Coweta DA took over in September 2022.

According to previous information, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call about a home invasion in the Stewart’s Mill community.

Key’s 16-year-old son made the call, saying his father had broken into the home and started assaulting his mother with a knife. The call lasted 10 minutes, with a witness telling dispatchers that Key had threatened to kill everyone inside and was searching for his gun.

At the time of the call, Key was also “actively stabbing and choking Key’s spouse.”

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Cooke was the first to arrive at the scene, where he “immediately approached the residence” with his department TASER drawn. He heard the victim screaming for help from inside and breached the door, kicking it open, according to the DA.

Inside, the victim, Key’s estranged wife, told Cooke that Key was upstairs, armed with a knife and possibly a gun. Cooke drew his firearm and went to the bottom of the stairs, telling Key to surrender.

Instead, Key refused and jumped out of the house from a second-floor ledge, down to the foyer by the front door before running away on foot.

Key then entered Cooke’s patrol car as Cooke chased him, before driving the car toward Cooke.

The deputy then fired two shots at Key, hitting the windshield. Key was not shot, but hit Cooke with the car, then drove away to avoid other officers. He wrecked the vehicle and was apprehended, according to the DA’s office.

As previously reported, Cooke suffered a broken rib and bruised abdomen, but was otherwise uninjured, according to prosecutors. They said Key’s wife suffered severe permanent injuries.

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Following the review of the GBI’s investigation, the Coweta County DA concluded that Cooke’s use of force was justified to “prevent serious injury to himself and apprehend Key.”

The matter is now considered closed by the DA’s office, which is declining to prosecute Deputy Cooke for his firing at Key.

Key entered a guilty plea to a 15-count indictment, which included attempted murder, home invasion, aggravated stalking, aggravated assault, aggravated assault on a peace officer, aggravated battery, fleeing a police officer and cruelty to children.

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Man sentenced to life for threatening to kill wife, kids, running over Douglas deputy The man's wife suffered permanent injuries, but the deputy only had a broken rib.

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