Newton Citizen

Photo by Howard Reed

CONYERS -- The man shot to death Thursday by a Rockdale County Sheriff's Office deputy suffered at least two gunshot wounds, according to records released today.

Rockdale County Sheriff Jeff Wigington requested an investigation of the incident by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The GBI said Friday afternoon the shooting victim was 31-year-old Nery Alfredo Lemus of Frontier Drive.

The shooting happened just after 1 a.m. Dec. 9 at Lakeview Estates where a sheriff's deputy responded to a disturbance call at a residence at 93 Frontier Drive.

According to the incident report, the caller told authorities that a Hispanic man had thrown something through his window.

The report described the man, later identified as Lemus, as holding a board when the deputy arrived at the scene. The deputy reportedly told Lemus to drop the board and Lemus refused and "charged" the deputy.

The report stated Lemus's actions "placed (the deputy's) safety in jeopardy," and the deputy shot Lemus.

Lemus dropped the board and ran away, while the deputy continued to give verbal commands. Lemus then ran back, picked up the board and started running back toward the deputy, the report stated.

That is when the deputy shot Lemus a second time.

The report said the man then fell in the roadway. Lemus was taken to Rockdale Medical Center where doctors pronounced him dead.

In Thursday's RCSO press release, the board was described as a 3- to 4-foot piece of wood.

RCSO and the GBI refused to release the name of the deputy involved, pending the GBI investigation.

The deputy involved as been put on administrative leave with pay, according to Thursday's press release, as is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings.