Crime & Safety
School Lockdown Lifted After Active Shooter Incident
Paulding Sheriff's Office said the suspect fired several shots from his rifle into the air as he fled. He was found later in a vacant house.
Shots fired after an apparent armed robbery attempt put one school on lockdown and closed roads in the area of Winn Road Friday afternoon as deputies pursued the suspect.
Paulding County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Ashley Henson said in an email sent around 5:15 p.m. that the suspect fired a rifle into the air several times as he fled. He was captured later.
The police activity locked down South Paulding High School until an all-clear was given around 4:40 p.m., according to a tweet from the school.
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Henson said deputies responded to an armed robbery call about theft of farm equipment.
“The suspect pointed a rifle at the complainant and then fled,” Henson said in the email. ”Once deputies arrived on scene the suspect pointed the rifle at the deputies from a distance. During the incident, the suspect fired the weapon in the air several times.”
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Witnesses saw the suspect a short time on Bobby Austin Road, where he reportedly dropped the rifle. He was found hiding in an abandoned residence.
No other info on the incident was released.
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Earlier posts
Update, 4:55 p.m.
Paulding County School District: ”Police activity in the SPHS area will be concluding. Suspect in custody. Not open to traffic at this point. Anticipate about 30 min delay.”
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Update, 4:40 p.m.
South Paulding High tweet: “We have received the all clear. All students are being released. If you’re attending the football game you may start arriving.”
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Original post
Paulding County authorities say roads around Winn Road are being impacted Friday afternoon by a “law enforcement incident.”
Paulding County E911 tweeted just after 4 p.m. that motorists should avoid the area for several hours.
South Paulding High tweeted, “Police activity in the area has campus closed. All students in lockdown and safe. Please hold off arriving for the game until all clear.”
WXIA-TV reported shots were fired after an attempted armed robbery.
Patch has reached out to the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office for more info.
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