Gwinnett County

Cop shoots, kills kidnapping suspect who pulled knife on officer, police say

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — People say they were worried for their safety as they watched police in Gwinnett County shoot and kill a man outside a busy Kroger store.

Witness Joe Argo gave Channel 2's Christian Jennings cellphone video that he took inside a barbershop inside the shopping center where it happened.

The video shows the officers with their guns drawn. Then a car drives by, and a gunshot is heard.

[INTERACTIVE MAP: Shootings involving Georgia law enforcement for 2019]

“I was just trying to get a haircut, and I saw one undercover police car come by,” Argo said. “I heard him say: 'Put your hands on the wheel. Don’t move.'”

At that point, Argo says he ran inside.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says two Braselton police officers were at the Kroger shopping center at Highway 78 and Rosebud Road because they were trying to track down a kidnapping suspect.

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Police say they spotted his car in the parking lot.

“Once they made contact with the suspect, the individual attempted to flee. The officers tackled the suspect, and that male suspect ended up pulling out a knife,” said GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles.

That’s when the GBI says an officer opened fire on the man.

Reynell Barnes told Jennings she was with her two children when the situation unfolded.

“They just yanked him out of the car, and it was a tussle. Like, they had a back-and-forth between each other, then they got him down to the ground,” Barnes said.

She said the suspect was fighting the officers.

“You could see him. His hands were up, and he was going back at him, trying to resist, and they got him down,” Barnes said.

“The officer shot him by the shoulder blade,” said Daniel Hernandez, who shot more cellphone video of the incident from his car. “As I was walking past the scene, I did see two knives on the floor.”

The GBI has taken over the investigation. So far, it has not released the name of the man who was killed, but did say he is from Florida.