HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) - Officers on Sunday shot and killed a man wanted in four weekend killings near Atlanta during an exchange of gunfire, with a sheriff’s deputy and two police officers wounded while trying to take the suspect into custody, authorities said.
Officials said Andre Longmore was shot during an intense search for the 40-year-old suspect. The exchange of gunfire came a day after Saturday morning’s shootings rocked a bucolic subdivision in Hampton, south of Georgia’s main city.
Officials said Longmore was killed about 15 miles to the north of Hampton in suburban Jonesboro. Clayton County police said a Henry County sheriff’s deputy saw the SUV that Longmore stole from one of the victims and began chasing him, calling for help. After exchanging gunfire with Longmore, Clayton police said he ran away.
Justin Robinson told WANF-TV that Longmore entered the backyard of a townhouse.
“He had a gun, he was bleeding, he was naked,” Robinson said.
Robinson said he alerted police officers, who were greeted with gunfire when they entered the townhouse where Longmore had hidden.
“Soon as they open the back door this guy starts shooting, shoots at the cops,” Robinson said. “The police start shooting.”
A Henry County sheriff’s deputy and two Clayton County police officers were injured in the attempt to arrest Longmore, officials said
One officer was shot in the back and was taken by helicopter to an Atlanta trauma center, Henry County Sheriff Reginald Scandrett said. “He is conscious, breathing and talking at this time,” Scandrett said of that officer.
Clayton County Police Chief Kevin Roberts said all three officers are expected to recover. Details on the conditions of the other two wounded officers weren’t immediately made public.
Hampton Police Chief James Turner said the four killed Saturday were all residents of the same Dogwood Lakes neighborhood where Longmore lived, and were all were shot within a 10-minute span. He identified the victims as 67-year old Scott Leavitt and his wife, 66-year old Shirley Leavitt, as well as 65-year-old Steve Blizzard and 66-year-old Ronald Jeffers.
Dogwood Lakes housing development resident Frankie Worth describes how he witnessed the shooting of his neighbor during a mass shooting in Hampton, Ga., Saturday, July 15, 2023. (Steve Schaefer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
This undated photo provided by the Hampton Police Department, in Hampton, Ga., shows Andre Longmore. On Saturday, July 15, 2023, authorities were searching for Longmore, who is suspected of gunning down three men and a woman in Georgia. (Courtesy of Hampton Police Department via AP)
Pictures identifying the four people shot and killed in Saturday's shooting near Atlanta are displayed by officers, Sunday, July 16, 2023, in Hampton, Ga. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)
Henry County Sheriff Reginald Scandrett talks to a local resident on Sunday, July 16, 2023, in Hampton, Ga. Scandrett and other law enforcement officials announced that officers shot and killed Andre Longmore on Sunday, a day after officials say Longmore shot and killed four Hampton residents. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)
Henry County Sheriff Reginald Scandrett speaks on Sunday, July 16, 2022, in Hampton, Ga, while flanked by other police and local officials. Scandrett announced that officers shot and killed Andre Longmore on Sunday, a day after officials say Longmore shot and killed four Hampton residents (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)
The entrance to the Dogwood Lakes neighborhood in Hampton, Ga., is shown on Sunday, July 16, 2023, with a police car to the left. Police say a man shot and killed four people in the neighborhood on Saturday, July 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)
A Henry County sheriff's deputy leaves a meeting to discuss the manhunt for Andre Longmore in Hampton, Ga., on Sunday, July 16, 2023. Police say Longmore shot and killed four people in a nearby neighborhood on Saturday, July 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)
In this photo tweeted by WSB-TV's Steve Gehlbach, Hampton Police Chief James Turner, center, stands next to a mounted picture of suspect Andre Longmore during a news conference in Hampton, Ga., Saturday, July 15, 2023. Authorities are searching for Longmore, who is suspected of gunning down three men and a woman in Hampton. (Steve Gehlbach/WSB-TV via AP)
This undated photo provided by the Hampton Police Department, in Hampton, Ga., shows Andre Longmore. On Saturday, July 15, 2023, authorities were searching for Longmore, who is suspected of gunning down three men and a woman in Georgia. (Courtesy of Hampton Police Department via AP)
Henry County sheriff's vehicles are lined up in Hampton, Ga., on Sunday, July 16, 2023, as deputies meet to discuss the manhunt for Andre Longmore. Police say Longmore shot and killed four people in a nearby neighborhood on Saturday, July 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)
A police vehicle stands guard in the Dogwood Lakes neighborhood in Hampton, Ga., on Sunday, July 16, 2023. Police say a man who lived in the brick house in the background shot and killed four people in the neighborhood on Saturday, July 15. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)