A Georgia man was shot and killed by police on Sunday after he was observed brandishing a firearm near a gas station in Athens, according to officials.
Athens-Clarke County police responded at about 1:20 a.m. Sunday near the intersection of Lexington Road and Gaines School Road to a report of a man brandishing a “machine gun,” according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Officers arrived and saw the suspect, identified as 26-year-old Marquavious Sims, at a Verizon store before crossing the road into the parking lot of a QuickTrip gas station.
Sims was chased by officers and instructed to drop the firearm. But at one point during the brief chase, Sims fired the gun at the pursuing officers. Two officers returned fire, hitting the suspect several times.
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A Georgia man was shot and killed by police on Sunday after he was observed brandishing a firearm. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
The suspect received emergency medical treatment from officers at the scene until emergency medical technicians arrived.
Sims was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
No police officers were injured during the incident.
Athens-Clarke County Police has asked the GBI to investigate the shooting.
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Athens-Clarke County police have asked the GBI to investigate the 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 incident GBI’s investigation into the event.
Sims’ body will be taken to the GBI Crime Lab in Decatur, Georgia, for an autopsy.
Once the investigation is complete, it will be turned over to the Clarke County District Attorney’s Office for review.