Suspect Identified In Cobb Officer-Involved Shooting: GBI

MARIETTA, GA — The man who was shot and killed by a Cobb County police officer Wednesday following a traffic stop, police chase and subsequent officer-involved shooting has been identified by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, a Cobb County Police Department officer saw a car driving recklessly around South Loop and Powder Springs Road in Marietta, according to GBI investigators. Marietta Police Department spokesperson Officer Chuck McPhilamy added that the car was reported stolen.

The officer attempted to perform a routine traffic stop on the driver, now identified as Devonte Dawayne Brown, 28, of Austell. He initially pulled over, GBI investigators said, but then “refused to comply and sped away.”

Officers from MPD and CCPD, as well as Cobb County Sheriff’s Office deputies who were in the area, all assisted in pulling over Brown. The GBI said at one point, officers tried to box in Brown’s car, but he tried to get away and hit multiple police cars. McPhilamy said some civilian cars were also damaged.

That’s when the shooting happened.

“As police officers were trying to take Brown into custody, a Cobb County Police Department officer fired his gun, striking Brown,” the GBI news release said.

Brown was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries, McPhilamy said.

A gun was found inside Brown’s car, and one officer was struck by Brown’s car during the police chase, receiving non-life-threatening injuries.

Traffic was shut down in both directions for hours, and drivers were urged to take Atlanta Road or South Cobb Drive to get around the delays, which made it difficult for school buses to take children home, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Marietta City Schools diverted some buses to Park Street Elementary School, holding students there until they could be picked up by their parents, the district said Wednesday on Twitter.

The GBI will complete its independent investigation and once complete, the case will be given to the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office for review.