GBI Identifies Man Shot, Killed By Off-Duty Atlanta Officer In Buckhead Restaurant

BUCKHEAD, GA — A man is dead after he was shot Wednesday by an off-duty police officer inside of a Buckhead Atlanta restaurant, according to Atlanta police.

They were called to the scene along Lenox Road around 3 p.m. by the shopping plaza next to Lenox Village Apartments. Police described the incident as a struggle over the police officer’s gun for several minutes.

Investigators said the officer was working off-duty at an approved job in the area when he was called to the Roasters restaurant.

There was an issue with a man inside the restaurant so the off-duty officer was called in, police said. That’s when the struggle began.

“There was some discussion going on and immediately there was a struggle,” said Atlanta Deputy Police Chief Charles Hampton Jr. “The struggle involved the officer’s gun. The struggle went on for several minutes. At the conclusion of that struggle, the officer discharged his firearm.”

The man was taken to a nearby hospital for his injuries, but he later died, police said. The officer was not injured in the incident.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called to look into the shooting. The GBI identified the man as 30-year-old Rogers Kyaruzi of Lithonia. In an update Thursday, the GBI said the man was "expressing odd behavior prior to the incident" and followed someone inside the restaurant, where he began causing a disturbance.

"The officer attempted to have Kyaruzi step outside of the restaurant and an altercation took place. During the altercation, Kyaruzi attempted to take the officer’s weapon, at which time the officer fired his weapon, hitting Kyaruzi."

The GBI will conduct an independent investigation. Once complete, the case file will be given to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office for review.