Man Dead, K-9 Shot In Douglasville After Gunfire With Police

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — One man is dead and a police dog was shot after an officer-involved shooting early Sunday morning in Douglasville.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Douglasville police were conducting a license and safety checkpoint on Chapel Hill Road when they spotted a driver trying to avoid them. The officers chased the vehicle, but then the male driver jumped out and tried to escape on foot.

Douglasville police then requested assistance from the Austell Police Department’s K-9 unit. When Austell police found the man, gunfire was exchanged and an Austell police dog, Jerry Lee, was struck once in his front leg.

With the help of the Georgia State Patrol and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the man was eventually found in the woods near the 6800 block of Douglas Boulevard. As SWAT team members tried to talk to the man, they heard a gunshot. Officers then found the man with a gunshot wound and a handgun near his body.

The man was pronounced dead at Wellstar Douglas Hospital. His identity is being withheld pending notification of family.

K-9 Jerry Lee was transported to an area veterinarian and is in stable condition. No other officers were injured during the incident.

The GBI will conduct an independent investigation. Once completed, it will be turned over to the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office for review.