Cherokee Deputies Kill Man At Home Where Decayed Mom Found: Sheriff

ACWORTH, GA — Authorities say they shot and killed a man suspected of being armed during a welfare check Saturday at an Acworth home, where they say his decayed mother was discovered.

The incident took place around 6:45 p.m., when Cherokee County deputies responded to Whisperwood Trail, authorities said.

At the home, authorities said they interacted with the 26-year-old man accused of being armed. Deputies outside the home then fatally shot the man, authorities said.

The sheriff's office did not release the details that led to the shooting nor did they identify the man.

A deputy was injured during the dispute and was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, where he was treated and released, authorities said.

After the shooting, authorities said they smelled a decaying odor and found the man's mother dead inside the home. A cause of death was not known "due to the advanced stage of decomposition," authorities said.

Her body was taken to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Crime Lab for an autopsy. She was not identified.

The GBI will investigate the police shooting, and the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division will investigate the woman's death.