ATLANTA — A man is dead and an officer injured after a shooting broke out in the parking lot of a Motel 6 in Marietta Thursday evening, according to police.
The shooting happened at the motel at 2360 Delk Rd. in Marietta shortly before 6:30 p.m. Police said the incident unfolded after they got a call about a "suspicious person." Two officers arrived at the Motel 6 parking lot and that's when shots were fired, Marietta police said.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, officers approached a car to talk to those inside, at which point the driver - 26-year-old Rafael Esteban Ramirez - reportedly put the vehicle in reverse and hit a police car. Ramirez then put his car in drive, according to GBI, and pinned one of the officers between the police car hit and another, dragging and injuring him.
That's when the GBI says officers fired at Ramirez, killing him.
Marietta police said that the officer who was hurt had minor injuries and was transported to the hospital. He's since been released.
Witnesses said they saw the man in the car get shot in the head.
Gabriel Wilson said he started recording moments following the gunshots at the Motel 6 that he's stayed at on and off for over three years. He said he knows the man who was inside a red car when shots were fired.
"He was young. I see him a lot over here," Wilson said.
Wilson said that no matter what conversation there was between police officers and the man prior to the shooting, things should have been handled differently.
"My thing is - why? You're in the parking lot, you've got two officers sitting right there, [the man] has nowhere to go, he's in a car," he said. "You could've done a PIT maneuver, shoot the tires, call for backup and say, 'Hey, he's leaving off the parking lot,' block it off."
Quietonious Harrison, who is also staying at the Motel 6, said his car got scraped as a result of the incident.
"I guess the man that was inside the car, he hit it when he drove off from police," he said.
Harrison and Latoya Moultrie, who is also a guest at the motel, also said Ramirez got shot in the head.
"Bam bam bam bam bam - five shots," Moultrie said. "Caught him in the back of the head. Enough is enough."
Crime scene investigators along with Marietta Fire responded to the incident.
The Marietta Police Department contacted the GBI to step in, as is protocol with shootings involving law enforcement officers. The GBI is now overseeing the investigation.
This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.
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