GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A 17-year-old boy accused of wielding a knife was shot and killed by Gwinnett County Police on Friday evening after police said he initially called 911 on himself.
Gwinnett County Police Sgt. Collin Flynn said just before 4:30 p.m., Gwinnett Police received a 911 call from the teen who told emergency operators that "he was armed with a knife and a handgun and that he was a danger to himself and others."
Sgt. Flynn said that before officers responded to the scene at West Broad Street and Whitehead Road in Sugar Hill, a licensed mental health clinician with the department was able to connect with the teen over the phone and began to try and help him in his current state of mind before officers arrived.
Police said the 17-year-old, later identified as Brayden Hemphill, told the clinician he was depressed and experiencing thoughts of suicide. When Gwinnett Police officers arrived, they said they found the teen standing in the middle of the road in a cul de sac holding a knife. As officers were talking with him, they told him to drop the knife. Sgt. Flynn said the teen charged at officers and tried to swing at them with the knife he was holding.
That's when Sgt. Flynn said two officers fired at the 17-year-old, and he was shot at least once. Officers immediately called medical first responders, but police said the teen was pronounced dead at the scene from his injuries.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been requested to investigate. The identity of the 17-year-old is being withheld until next of kin can be notified.
Watch the full update from Gwinnett County Police on the deadly shooting below:
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