HALL COUNTY, Ga. — A suspect shot a Gainesville police officer responding to a distress call on Thursday night. The suspect is now dead after exchanging gunfire with officers.
Gainesville Police Chief said Friday that the officer was struck by the bullet on his two-way radio microphone pinned to his chest. The bullet was stopped by the radio and his ballistic vest, and he is OK, the sheriff said.
He identified the suspect as 24-year-old Dakota Levi Simmons.
Officers responded to Briarwood Drive and Skyline Drive around 10:30 p.m. after a woman called 911 to report a man threatening to kill her. When police arrived, they were led to another home in the neighborhood where the man was hiding.
The man shot one of the officers who entered the home, and another officer returned fire.
Parrish said the man then ran inside the home and barricaded himself.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Six hours later, police said the man exited the house and started shooting at officers and SWAT teams. The officers returned fire, and the suspect was shot and killed.
Three other officers were transported to the medical center for evaluation and are physically stable, Parrish said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has now taken over the investigation.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
