CHAMBLEE, Ga. — The Chamblee police officer who shot and injured a machete-wielding shoplifter is expected to be cleared of any wrongdoing after the GBI conducted an independent investigation.
Body cam footage shows the moments the suspect attacked a Chamblee police officer in February when police responded to reports of a shoplifter at a nearby Walmart.
Police say the officer tried to grab the suspect as he walked away from the store but he kept on walking and then the situation escalated into a life-threatening encounter.
“Take your hands out of your pockets,” the officer told the suspect before the situation escalated. “I gotta get closer. He’s not stopping.”
And that’s when the officer opened fire.
“I believe there was no choice but to defend herself from that tragic and very brutal attack that was coming her way,” Chamblee Police Chief Michael Dieppa told Channel 2′s Michael Seiden.
The suspect, identified as Tyrese Simon, 22, was accused of stealing a number of items, including the machete, from the Walmart on Chamblee Tucker Road in February
After he was shot, the officer secured the suspect’s weapon and then her backup took over.
“Again, today, as far as I know, that subject is still alive, because after they, unfortunately, shot him, turned to medics and began to administer emergency first aid until fire rescue was able to get there and transport him, so I was really proud of that as far as training goes,” Dieppa said. “In my very humble opinion, I think that this is about as cut and dry a tragic situation that you could experience.”
Dieppa also said this is a good reminder that there is really no such thing as a routine call.
Seiden reached out to the DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston and a spokesperson for her office sent him the following statement: “The GBI completed its investigation and turned the case file over to us just last month. The case is open and under review in our office.”