CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is gathering details after a man was shot and killed by police in Clayton County on Sunday.
The incident reportedly happened in the 6900 block of Maddox Road near Stratton Circle in Morrow. Clayton County Police Chief Kevin Roberts told 11Alive officers responded to a dispute between neighbors around noon.
A man started yelling at officers, but police initially said he was unarmed and not considered a threat, according to Roberts. The man reportedly went inside a home, returned with a gun, then yelled at officers a second time.
Roberts said the man then fired a shot. Although it was unclear whether he shot at police, Roberts said officers thought the man fired toward them. The officers on scene then called for backup.
Chief Roberts said when additional officers arrived to the scene, they spoke to the man outside of his home and that’s when he reportedly turned and pointed his gun at those officers.
Police shot at the suspect and he later died. According to Roberts, no officers were hurt in the fatal incident and no one else was injured. A spokesperson with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the Clayton County Police Department requested the agency investigate. This is standard practice for shootings involving law enforcement officials.
Iris Jiron told 11Alive's Joe Ripley it was her husband, 38-year-old Michael Gonzalez, who was killed by police in the shooting, though authorities have not released the man's identity at this time.
Neighbors reported conflicting stories to Jiron, with some telling her they heard around 15 shots. She said the couple had surveillance cameras inside the house and she's hoping the footage tells "the true story."
Jiron said she left for two weeks after getting into an argument with her spouse. A neighbor called while she was returning from church around 2 p.m., saying someone had been shot. She said she broke down when police told her that her husband was killed.
Gonzalez has had mental breakdown issues in the past, according to Jiron.
"I never thought it would get this far with him," she said.
Jiron said the couple knew each other since high school, had been married for a decade, and have two kids together. They lived in their Clayton County home for around five years.