Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. — Newton County officials say two sheriff’s deputies have been hospitalized with wounds after a standoff with a man later found shot to death.
Lt. Tyrone Oliver of the Newton County Sheriff’s Department said the deputies were shot on Monday when they approached the man’s home after receiving a call about a suicide threat.
Oliver said SWAT teams surrounded the home and tried to talk to the man, but received no response.
He said that officers entered the house Monday night and found the man’s body in a bedroom.
Oliver said one deputy, 50-year-old James Trent, was shot in the jaw. The other deputy, 25-year-old Wesly Atha, was shot in the forearm and back.
Both officers were hospitalized at Atlanta Medical Center and are expected to recover.
The standoff began around 5:30 p.m. near the intersection of Parker Road and Ga. 36 and ended just before 10 p.m.
Authorities said the man was found dead inside his home from a self-inflicted gun wound.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is working with the Newton County Sheriff’s Department on the case.
Copyright 2009 Atlanta Journal-Constitution