STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — The manhunt inside Stone Mountain Park Thursday evening is over.
Police said hikers and visitors reported gunfire before 5 p.m. in the evening.
“Witnesses indicated they heard six shots, saw ricocheted bullets. They felt they were being shot at. We just do not know,” said John Bankhead.
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Bankhead works for Stone Mountain Park Department of Public Safety. He said a park officer found a man who matched a description of the suspected shooter before 7 p.m.
“He was on top of the mountain, had a weapon. The park officer approached him, aimed his weapon at him and told him to stand down. He climbed the fence at the top of the mountain, got a few yards away from the fence and he asked the officer, ‘Are you going to shoot me?.’ Officer said no, and at that point, he put a gun to his head and shot himself,” said Bankhead.
Bankhead said the man was armed with a semi-automatic pistol, and investigators discovered a bag with a matching magazine inside.
“Found a backpack on top of the mountain that apparently belonged to this deceased individual, personal items in there along with an extra magazine for the weapon he was using,” said Bankhead.
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Bankhead said Georgia Bureau of Investigation will now take over the case. He said they will work to confirm if anyone else may have been involved. He said park visitors gave at least two different descriptions of suspects.
“We just do not know at this point. The GBI will take over that part of the investigation,” said Bankhead.
The park remained closed Thursday night, and visitors staying at the RV camp sights and hotels overnight remained patient until police allowed them inside.
Bankhead said the last time a shooting happened at the park was 2005. He said someone shot and killed a gate attendant named Anita Redmond during robbery. GBI still lists that case as unsolved online.
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