SNELLVILLE, Ga. — A man is dead after a shooting involving police in Snellville on Saturday morning.
It all started around 4 a.m. Snellville Police said during a traffic stop on US 78/West Main Street at Fountain Drive, which is near the Piedmont Eastside Medical Center's south campus.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said that when the officer walked up to the car, the driver, identified as 36-year-old Rashawn Johnson of Tucker, was holding his phone, had the window cracked and kept saying that he wanted to call his mom.
Johnson ended up giving the officer his ID, and the officer returned to the patrol car to call for more units. When the officer went back to the car, the GBI said Johnson refused to roll his window down and comply with the officer's commands to get out of the car. The officer told Johnson that he would be arrested for obstruction if he did not get out of the car.
The GBI said that Johnson did not get out of the car, and the officer told him he was under arrest. The officer opened the front door of the driver's car, Johnson pulled out a gun and put it to his own head, Snellville Police said. Police said that Johnson fired his weapon, and police returned fire, which resulted in a gunshot wound to Johnson's head, killing him at the scene.
It's unclear at this time whether Johnson was killed by his own gun or by officers' gunfire.
Snellville Police said that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is now investigating, per state protocol.
This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.
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