Conyers police say suspect in officer involved shooting has died

Conyers police have shot and killed a 40-year-old suspect this morning off Highway 138 in Conyers.

Lieutenant Quantavis Garcia with Conyers police says it happened just before 7 a.m. at a Chevron gas station on Sigman Road. Officers responded to a disturbance call when they encountered the suspect at the gas station who “refused to leave.”

Garcia said that one officer made contact with the man at the scene, and while doing so, a second officer arrived. During that interaction, “rounds were fired from our officers. The suspect was struck,” according to Garcia.

Police said the man, later identified as 40-year-old Jesse Roach died and his body is at a local hospital. They did not specify if he died at the scene or at the hospital after being taken there. No officers were injured.

A black truck that had crashed into business belonged to the suspect and Garcia confirmed that during portions of the shooting, the suspect was behind the wheel of the truck.

It’s still under investigation if the suspect had opened fire on the officers at the scene. As officers were arriving on the scene, the suspect was seen entering his truck, trying to drive away and disobeying orders of officers.

Both the gas station and a nearby car were damaged. Garcia said the truck at one point entered part of the store and the front glass was broken during the collision.

Police said it was unclear what had agitated the man, and the circumstances are still under investigation.

“During the initial contact with him. he was outside the vehicle. Inside of the store, the encounter moved out into the parking lot and then he was inside the vehicle,” Garcia said.

The GBI is handling the investigation and Conyers internal affairs is also on the scene per the department’s standard protocol.

The Conyers Police Department is operating a drone to survey the crime scene and said they will provide the footage to the GBI for their own investigation.