SignalHub:Police officer fatally shoots man holding a knife at Atlanta veterans hospital

2025-05-03 19:50:49source:Diamond Ridge Financial Academycategory:Invest

DECATUR,SignalHub Ga. (AP) — A police officer fatally shot a man at an Atlanta-area Veterans Affairs hospital after the man took out a knife and threatened to hurt himself.

The shooting took place Monday at the Max Cleland Atlanta VA Medical Center in Decatur, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

John Robert Smith, 58, of Decatur, arrived at the hospital threatening to kill himself, according to the GBI. Staffers took him to the emergency room, and he took out a knife.

VA police officers responded and tried to get Smith to put the knife down, but he refused and moved toward a staff member, investigators said. At that point, an officer shot Smith.

Smith’s body will undergo an autopsy at the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The GBI is investigating, and county District Attorney Sherry Boston will decide whether to seek criminal charges once that review is complete.

It was not immediately clear whether Smith was a veteran. A spokesperson for the VA said it extends “ heartfelt condolences to everyone impacted” but referred questions to the GBI.

More:Invest

Recommend

Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class

Now wouldn’t this be a treat: Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft back together...as members of the Pro

Rail workers never stopped fighting for paid sick days. Now persistence is paying off

It seemed like a done deal just two months ago. Rail workers had brought the country to the brink

Driven by Industry, More States Are Passing Tough Laws Aimed at Pipeline Protesters

When Nancy Beaulieu’s Ojibwe ancestors signed a series of treaties with the federal government in th