ATLANTA, Georgia — Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia has declared a state of emergency and deployed 1,000 National Guard troops to the Atlanta area following a violent outbreak among protesters.
The initial incident occurred on Wednesday morning during a planned police operation to remove protesters from a police training property, known in the community as “Cop City”.
According to the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), an individual opened fire on law enforcement without warning, injuring an officer.
The officer, reports say, was hit in the stomach above the pelvic area. In response, police returned fire, killing the alleged shooter. Approximately 25 campsites belonging to protestors were also removed during the operation.
Over the weekend, Atlanta witnessed unrest as individuals set police cruisers on fire and threw rocks at the building that houses the Atlanta Police Foundation.
