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Police: Suspect killed after 6-hour west Atlanta standoff

The suspect allegedly called police regarding gunshots and then fired on responding officers.

Authorities say a man who fired on police and barricaded himself in a home for 6 hours was shot and killed Thursday morning.

The incident began as a report of shots fired in the 1400 block of Kennesaw Drive in west Atlanta. But as officers arrived, the suspect fired on them as well.

From there, Atlanta police deployed their SWAT unit who established a perimeter around the home.

For hours, negotiators made attempts to contact the suspect, who the family identified to 11Alive as Deshawn Shepard. Police spoke with Shepard's family who apparently managed to get through to him at some point during the standoff.

However, it ended in a barrage of gunfire when Shepard confronted officers and refused to surrender.

“SWAT officers fired and it appears the suspect was struck,” police spokesperson Donald Hannah said.

Medical responders reported Shepard dead at the scene despite previous reports from the department that the suspect survived the shots.

Family members told police that a breakup may have played a role in Shepard's actions. Other officers told 11Alive he had a history of mental health issues but did not elaborate further.

Neighbors tell 11Alive that Shepard was a disabled Army veteran and also corroborated the claim of mental issues. The neighbor added that they were made worse by the ending of that relationship.

Other witnesses said he was driving up and down the road shooting in the air before police arrived.

Neighbors described those moments as something out of a war zone with one elderly woman fearing that a stray bullet may hit her home.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has since begun investigating the shooting and the moments that led up to it.

Police said they received several calls of shots fired before police arrived at the scene, to begin with. They believe one of those calls came from the now-deceased suspect.

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