ATLANTA (AP) – A standoff that began when two Georgia police officers were shot and wounded has ended with a 16-year-old boy and his pregnant mother both killed by a gunman who then killed himself, authorities said.
The two officers were responding to a domestic disturbance Thursday morning when they came under fire by the gunman, who then barricaded himself inside the house. A standoff ensued for the next 15 hours as police pleaded with the gunman to release the teenage boy from the home in Stockbridge, south of Atlanta.
A woman believed to be related to ones involved in a hostage situation reacts as law enforcement on the scene tried to console them in Stockbridge, Ga., Thursday, April 4, 2019. A gunman suspected of shooting two Georgia police officers remain barricaded in a home Thursday with a teenager who was considered a hostage, police said. (John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)Police were hopeful, saying a negotiator was speaking with the gunman, identified by police on Friday as Anthony Tony Bailey Jr., 47, of Atlanta.
“With communication with the individual, at least he’s talking – that’s helpful,” Henry County police Capt. Joey Smith said at a Thursday afternoon news conference. “We’re going to wait as long as we can.”
However, by late Thursday night, the gunman was refusing to surrender and would not “provide proof of the well-being” of the teenager and the woman inside. So commanders made the decision to deploy gas inside the home, police said.