Athens-Clarke County police officers killed a man who shot at them at a Lexington Road gas station early Sunday morning, according to ACCPD and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Police responded to a 911 call at about 1:20 a.m. on Sunday about a man waving a “machine gun” around. They located the man at a Verizon store near the corner of Lexington and Gaines School roads. He ran across the street to the parking lot of a nearby QuikTrip.
Officers pursuing the man ordered him to drop the gun, but he turned around and fired at the officers, according to the GBI. Two officers returned fire and hit the man, later identified as Marquavious Sims, 26, of Athens. Sims was treated at the scene, then taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No officers were hurt.
As is the case with all officer shootings, the GBI will investigate the shooting and turn the evidence over to District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez, who will decide whether to prosecute the officers.
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