JASPER, Ga. — A man who was visiting the Veterans Affairs clinic in Jasper on Tuesday says he came face-to-face with the suspected gunman who opened fire.
The GBI says that a man shot a VA employee before being shot and killed by police on Tuesday afternoon.
The VA employee was flown to the hospital. There is no word on their current condition.
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Channel 2’s Audrey Washington spoke with a veteran who says the shooter was less than 30 feet away from him.
“I just kept thinking he can shoot me,” Timothy Johnson said.
Johnson said he was at the clinic on East Church Street when he overheard a person with the suspect tell a nurse that the suspect suffered from mental health issues.
About five minutes later, Johnson says the suspect was in a room with a doctor when he heard a bang and then a nurse screamed.
He said the nurse shouted out that there was an active shooter.
That’s when he says his Army training kicked in.
“I pushed everyone out of the VA,” he said. “I went out and then he chased me down the parking lot.”
He says the armed suspect stayed behind him until Johnson found cover and a police officer.
“I never thought I would be hunted down by somebody. It was just overwhelming,” he said.
Jasper police say that’s when officers shot and killed the suspect.
The suspect’s identity and the condition of the victim have not been released.
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