Police kill a man in a burning Georgia house, finding a woman dead and others trapped
Sep 4, 2025, 8:20 AM | Updated: 2:08 pm
LOCUST GROVE, Ga. (AP) — Police in an Atlanta suburb say they shot and killed a man inside a burning house early Thursday, then found a woman dead with burns and rescued two other adults and a child who were inside a bedroom.
Officers responded around 3:40 a.m. to a report of a house fire with people trapped inside, said Locust Grove Police Chief Derrick Austin. They broke through the back door and found a man wielding a large knife. The man refused commands to drop the knife, police said, before officers fired a Taser and a bean bag shotgun, which were both ineffective.
“Finally, they reverted to their firearm for lethal force, and the suspect was shot by the Locust Grove officers,” Austin told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The man died before he could be taken to a hospital.
Officers then found the woman dead with burns in an upstairs bedroom that was on fire, Austin said. It’s not clear what caused her death. Officers found the three others, who had locked themselves in a second bedroom. Police escorted them safely outside.
Officials are investigating what caused the fire. “We assume it’s arson, but we don’t know,” Austin said.
Authorities in the town about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of downtown Atlanta have not yet identified the people who died or explained whether all the people involved are related.
No officers were injured. Firefighters put out the fire.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is leading an inquiry into the police shooting, as is standard procedure. The Henry County district attorney will then decide whether any criminal charges are warranted.
