ACWORTH, Ga. (AP) — A man who fired point-blank at the chest of an officer — who was saved by a bulletproof vest — was later killed by police following a manhunt involving multiple law enforcement agencies northwest of Atlanta, police said.
The Cobb County Police Department said its officer was responding to a domestic dispute in Acworth on Sunday around 3:30 p.m. when the man pulled out a gun and began shooting, news outlets reported. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation on Monday identified the man as 20-year-old Luis Rey Ruiz of Kennesaw.
Sgt. Wayne Delk told reporters the officer’s vest protected him from the shot fired at very close range, and though hospitalized, he was expected to live.
The officer returned fire, hitting Ruiz, who then ran from the scene, the GBI said in a news release.
Cobb County SWAT was called in to try to find Ruiz, and officers found him around 6:40 p.m. a short distance from the location of the original 911 call. Several members of Cobb County SWAT shot Ruiz, who died at the scene, the GBI said. A gun was found next to Ruiz’s body, the GBI said.
No officers were injured in the second encounter, the Cobb County Police Department said on Twitter.
Once the GBI has completed its investigation, the case will be turned over to the Cobb County district attorney’s office for review.
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