By Joe Johnson
A woman reportedly was killed and a Jackson County deputy critically injured Friday night in an exchange of gunfire when deputies responded to a domestic situation at a home in Hoschton.
According to the GBI, which conducts independent investigations of officer-involved shootings, deputies responded at about 9:20 p.m. to a 911 call from a residence located at 6416 GA Hwy 124 in Hoschton.
The call was about a domestic situation where the homeowners wanted a non-resident out of the home, the GBI said.
“When deputies arrived at that location, they made contact with a woman at the front door of the residence. The woman pulled out a firearm and pointed it towards the deputies, according to the GBI. “The deputies gave verbal commands for the woman to drop the weapon. The woman opened fire on the deputies. One of the deputies was hit and injured. The other deputy returned fire, hitting the woman and killing her.”
The injured deputy was taken to a local trauma center where she remains in critical condition.
The identity of the woman who fired at the deputies is being withheld until proper notification to the next of kin, according to the GBI, which said her body was taken to the GBI crime lab in Decatur for an autopsy.
In a statement on her agency’s Facebook page, Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangun said, “Please be in prayer for our injured Deputy, the family, along with all the shift and coworkers of the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.”
The GBI said once they have completed investigating the incident, the casefile will be provided to the Piedmont Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.