A man is dead and a SWAT officer is injured in Roswell, Georgia, during the execution of search and arrest warrants.
Fox 5 Atlanta reported that on Friday afternoon, Roswell Police detectives and North Fulton SWAT attempted to serve a warrant to Matthew Robert Taylor, 40, at a Roswell home on Ansley Drive. Authorities obtained the warrants for charges of reckless conduct, discharging firearms on another’s property, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, when officers executed the warrant, Taylor retreated into the house before running out the back. He shot at SWAT officers, hitting one in the chest. Officers returned fire, fatally striking Taylor.
“The suspect fired two rounds, hitting the SWAT officer twice in the chest. That SWAT officer returned fire, striking the suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene,” said Roswell Police Chief James Conroy, according to Fox 5.
Taylor was wanted for a New Year’s Eve incident in which he fired his handgun into the air after being asked to leave a party he had not been invited to, as he was unknown to all attendees. Both Will Haygood and Austin Sheffield expressed deep concern following their interaction with Taylor.
“We’re in the garage. He walks up the driveway and says, ‘Hey, are we having a party?’” Haygood recounted.
“Then he walks outside and starts firing rounds into the air. Eight rounds after that, he tells us he’s going to shoot up our trucks,” Sheffield added.
Taylor had a lengthy history of firearms-related offenses and violence.
“The target of the search warrants was wanted on multiple firearms charges and has an extensive violent criminal history involving the use of firearms,” Chief Conroy stated.
The GBI is conducting an independent investigation into the shooting.
Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
