A man who was shot to death by police early Thursday morning left a suicide note before leaving his home and then threatening officers with a replica Airsoft pistol.
Steven Hutchins, 27, was confronted by Gwinnett police outside of a laundromat at 1330 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in Buford. Police were responding to reports of a man walking along the road with a firearm.
Officers reported that Hutchins had a firearm in his waistband. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, police tried talking to Hutchins for about five minutes to try and de-escalate the situation.
But Hutchins pulled the gun out of his waistband and began to raise it at the officers, according to the GBI. One of the officers then shot Hutchins, who died at the scene.
The handgun was found to be an airsoft replica pistol.
The 911 call was tracked to a phone in Hutchins’ residence, but police have been unable to determine the caller’s identity.
Hutchins’ house is about 100 yards from where he was shot.
