ATLANTA — Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents will be working around the clock this weekend as they investigate not one, but two shootings involving law enforcement from Friday.
The first shooting happened before the sun came up. The second, in broad daylight near several families.
Director of the GBI Vernon Keenan is calling the uptick in violence “an epidemic.”
He points just to what has happened just this week – five shootings involving law enforcement in Georgia.
"I think the use of force against law enforcement is exceedingly high,” Keenan said. “In fact, I think there is an epidemic across the United States."
Keenan said his agents are being stretched thin with the number of officer-involved shootings they handle, typically two a week.
"These are very serious investigations,” he explained. “The public expects and has a right to a detailed investigation and accountability into what has happened with use of force."
The violence began on Monday when an off-duty Georgia State Police officer opened fire on a suspect outside the Greyhound bus station in Downtown Atlanta. Outside the city, the GBI was called in to investigate shootings in Columbus and Liberty County, near Savannah.
Then, Friday dawned to end on a violent note.
Just before 5 a.m., as the Ivory Restaurant and Lounge in southwest Atlanta was serving breakfast, the GBI said 46-year-old Norris Duffy caused a disturbance. Three off-duty Fulton County Sheriff's deputies, working security, jumped in.
Nelly Miles with the GBI told 11Alive officers used a taser on the subject and he was released and left the restaurant.
Instead, the GBI said Duffy went to his car and pulled out his assault rifle. Before he could fire a shot, one of the deputies shot and killed him.
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Leron Rogers is a lawyer for the restaurant who watched the surveillance video.
“The officers made a very quick decision to protect the public,” he said. “They did a great job, and they were left with no choice from what I see.”
About nine hours later, an undercover Atlanta Police officer starts trailing what he believes to be a stolen vehicle along Cleveland Avenue. But the driver and a female passenger jumped out of the vehicle and immediately started firing at the officer, sparking a running gun battle down the southwest Atlanta neighborhood.
PHOTOS | Teen shot in 'running gun battle'
PHOTOS: Teen shot in 'running gun battle'
“I heard about 20 to 25 gunshots,” said Benjamin Tolefree, who lives in the neighborhood.
The driver, a 17-year-old, was shot in the leg, but no one else was hurt.
Nearly every agency in the state calls on the GBI tgo investigate any time there's an officer involved shooting.
Last year, there were 97 officer-involved shootings in Georgia. GBI officials said we're currently on track to have fewer incidents this year.
