A Georgian man was shot dead by police on Sunday after he was seen brandishing a gun near a gas station in Athens, authorities said.
Athens-Clarke County police responded around 1:20 a.m. Sunday near the intersection of Lexington Road and Gaines School Road to a report of a man waving a “machine gun,” according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Officers arrived and saw the suspect, identified as Marquavious Sims, 26, inside a Verizon store before crossing the road into the parking lot of a QuickTrip gas station.
The officers chased Sims and ordered him to drop his firearm. But at one point during the brief chase, Sims fired at the pursuing officers. Two officers returned fire, hitting the suspect multiple times.
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A Georgian man was shot dead by police on Sunday after he was seen brandishing a gun. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
The suspect received emergency medical assistance from officers at the scene until emergency medical technicians arrived.
Sims was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
No police officers were injured in the incident.
Athens-Clarke County Police have requested the GBI to investigate the officer-involved shooting.
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Athens-Clarke County Police have requested the GBI to investigate the officer-involved shooting. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
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The two officers involved in Sunday’s shooting have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the GBI’s investigation into the incident.
Sims’ body will be taken to the GBI crime lab in Decatur, Georgia, for an autopsy.
Once the investigation is complete, it will be forwarded to the Clarke County District Attorney’s Office for review.
