CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — A woman was shocked to find law enforcement at her home Tuesday afternoon after her brother had been taken into custody following a SWAT standoff.
Police said the incident began at around noon when U.S. Marshals and Clayton County SWAT attempted to serve a warrant for Timothy James O'Neil. While attempting to do so, O'Neil immediately began firing shots at officers, police said.
“There’s no words, I’m in shock," Mary Solis said, who is O'Neil's sister. "I don’t even know what to say."
She told 11Alive she saw her brother about a month and a half ago, but before that, they hadn't seen each other in about 10 years. They kept in contact over the phone.
She told 11Alive's Joe Henke that he showed up to her house again, over the weekend.
“He just came home over one Sunday while I was at work. I came home and I was like, ‘What are you doing over here Tim?'" Solis said she asked him.
She said he told her they needed to talk.
"He said he's trouble, and I said, 'you need to go back and turn yourself in.'"
Solis said on Monday he told her he would return to Nebraska Tuesday and surrender to authorities.
Solis added that the 46-year-old had been collecting disability benefits for an injury.
“He was on that and he lost it after 17 months," she explained. "Don’t have any money coming in, so he's depressed."
Solis said she hasn't had a chance to talk to him since his arrest. During the standoff, SkyTracker11 showed a home along Bimini Road, not far from I-75, surrounded by heavily-armed officers. An armored vehicle was also seen in front of the home.
A robot entered the home at 2:42 p.m., just before there was visible smoke, possibly from a flash bang. The U.S. Marshal's office confirmed the incident began when they attempted to take O'Neil into custody.
At 2:52 p.m., O'Neil was seen exiting the home. Officers quickly took him into custody.
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