ATLANTA (WXIA) -- The Ronald McNair school shooting, the Forsyth County Courthouse shooting and Friday's shooting in DeKalb County that left two officers wounded. They all have one big thing in common -- the use of assault rifles by criminals. It appears to be a disturbing trend that's causing a lot of concern.
After two DeKalb officers were shot by a fully automatic assault rifle Friday morning, The Investigators started researching other major crimes in the area that used assault rifles as the weapon of choice.
We found one example from just three weeks ago.
An Atlanta homicide suspect was seen on surveillance video walking to the back of his vehicle, opening his trunk and taking out an AK-47. Police said they believe he gunned down his victim leaving him on the street. This case is only a few weeks old, but there have been several others.
In August 2013, DeKalb Police came under assault rifle fire at Ronald McNair Discovery Learning Center. The shooter fired a half-dozen shots from inside the school.
In June 2014, it would be Forsyth County Police that would get caught in the crossfire of an assault rifle. The shooter, who was due in court that morning, not only brought his rifle, but also body armor, grenades and ammunition. At one point, there were eight deputies firing at the suspect. The event left the suspect dead and a deputy injured.
Bringing us back to Friday's incident – two deputies responding to a home invasion are fired upon with the weapon before they even got to the door. Area law enforcement confirms that they are confronted with assault rifles more and more often – especially detectives and those serving warrants.
In recent months, police chiefs across the country have said they feel simply outgunned.
The average online cost for an assault rifle is $700.
