Woman Killed In Officer-Involved Shooting In Calhoun

CALHOUN, GA — A woman who allegedly pulled a gun and fired upon a cop was shot and killed by officers at a BP gas station Tuesday afternoon in Calhoun, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

The state agency was called in by the Calhoun Police Department to investigate the fatal shooting at the store, which was reported around 3 p.m. Dec. 11 at the store at 312 South Wall Street.

A preliminary investigation shows two women were at the station when Calhoun officer Jeremy Thompson first encountered the driver inside the store. The woman was short on change for a purchase, so Thompson gave her the remaining change to complete the transaction.

They both left the store when Thompson smelled what he believed to be marijuana and "encountered" Tameka LaShay Simpson, 27, of Columbus, the passenger of the vehicle, the GBI said.

Thompson called in the vehicle as suspicious, and officer Joe Yother arrived to assist with the call. Thompson asked Simpson for identification, and the passenger allegedly responded by pulling out a firearm and firing the weapon. Yother was struck in the arm and officers returned fire, fatally shooting Simpson.

The bullet fired at Yother also impacted his cell phone in his chest pocket, and he was transported to an area hospital for treatment. The driver of the vehicle was taken into custody on charges not related to the shooting.

Simpson's autopsy will be conducted at the GBI Crime Lab in Decatur. The GBI will conduct an independent investigation to determine what happened and once its investigation is complete, it will be turned over to the Cherokee Judicial Circuit for review.

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