Two Georgia police officers were injured in a shootout with gun store robbery suspects just after midnight Saturday morning.
Smyrna Police Chief Keith Zgonk said in an early morning press conference that at 12:16 a.m., Smyrna and Cobb County police responded to a 911 call regarding a robbery at Adventure Outdoors Gun Store on South Cobb Drive. said. Our expansive 80,000 square foot store and selection is located approximately 21 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta.
When officers arrived, they encountered an armed gunman who was inside the store at the time, Zgonc said. Gunfire erupted between the gunman and police at the scene.
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Smyrna Police Chief Keith Zgonk (left) and Cobb County Police Chief Stuart Vanhoozer (right). (Cobb County Police Department)
Officers from the Smyrna Police Department and Cobb County Police Department returned fire and the suspect was killed. His identity has not been disclosed.
Two Smyrna Police Department officers were shot and injured during the shooting. Both were taken to a local hospital and are recovering with non-life-threatening injuries.
A SWAT team was then brought in to secure the store and make sure no one else was inside.
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Two Georgia police officers were injured in a shootout with gun store robbery suspects just after midnight Saturday morning. (Google Maps)
Zgonz said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was on the scene and investigating the incident.
Zgonc said police are not sure if the suspect entered the store to steal weapons. The store was closed at the time.
Cobb County Police Chief Stuart Vanhoozer said it was deeply concerning that a suspect would open fire on police, noting that two police officers have been killed in metro Atlanta in recent weeks.
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Adventure Outdoors Gun Shop is located approximately 21 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta. (Google Earth)
The company's website said there was a large police response given recent police shootings in the area and the nature of the store, which stocks about 18,000 guns. The store bills itself as “virtually the world's largest gun store.”
“We had a lot of officers come. That's why they came,” Vanhooser said.
“I'm angry. I'm angry that people would want to do this,” Zgonc added.
“They want to shoot police officers. They want to harm us. Clearly, the person involved in this criminal act needed our response.”
