Police officer killed, another seriously wounded in hotel room shootout in Georgia

Audio By Carbonatix

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — A man being questioned by police at a suburban Atlanta hotel on Sunday shot the two officers after inviting them into his room, killing one of them and seriously wounding the other, authorities said.

The shooting suspect also was shot by one of the officers and was undergoing medical treatment and expected to survive, Gwinnett County Police Chief J.D. McClure said during a news conference.

The shootout happened Sunday morning near Stone Mountain, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta. The officers were dispatched to the hotel after a caller in another state reported someone had fraudulently used their credit card there, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. The agency said the front desk clerk directed the officers to the room of the person who had used the credit card.

McClure said the suspect greeted the officers at the door to his room and invited them inside.

“They began discussing the scenario or the incident with him,” McClure said. “And at some point the suspect produced a handgun and, in an unprovoked attack, fired at our Gwinnett County police officers."

Officer Pradeep Tamang, 25, died from his injuries at a hospital, McClure said. A native of Nepal, Tamang had joined the police department last year.

Office David Reed was hospitalized in serious but stable condition Sunday afternoon, the police chief said.

“This is the latest reminder of the dangers law enforcement face on a daily basis, and we are grateful for every one that puts themselves in harm’s way to protect their fellow Georgians,” Gov. Brian Kemp said on the social media platform X.

McClure identified the shooting suspect as 35-year-old Kevin Andrews of Decatur, Georgia. It was not immediately known whether Andrews had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

The investigation has been turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which customarily handles shootings involving law enforcement officers in the state. McClure said it would be up to the GBI and local prosecutors to decide what charges to bring against Andrews.