A SWAT standoff in Walker County early this morning left one man dead who shot at police after barricading himself in his home.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident, which began at 6:15 p.m. Friday night according to an agency news release. Walker County authorites on Saturday referred questions to the state agency.
According to the release, a propane contractor originally called authorities to say he had been shot at.
He had been dispatched to a home on Sheila Gail Lane for a service request, but the resident, 64-year-old Jose Alegre, became irate with the contractor and threatened to shoot him if he did not leave.
As the contractor left the property Alegre began shooting at him, but the man escaped without injury.
When Walker and Catoosa County deputies arrived, they found Alegre had barricaded himself inside his home and was refusing every attempt they made to contact him, according to the GBI statement
Authorities then obtained a search warrant for the home and an arrest warrant for Alegre, and the Walker County SWAT team arrived on scene.
At approximately 12:37 a.m. the SWAT team deployed gas into the home and Alegre began shooting at the officers. He didn’t respond to attempts to communicate, and finally officers entered the home at 1:48 a.m.
They were met by gunfire and the SWAT team shot and killed Alegre.
GBI investigators were called in soon after at 2:00 a.m. to investigate the scene.