BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A shooting involving a Bartow County deputy Tuesday morning began at a McDonald’s drive-thru and ended in an adjacent motel parking lot, according to the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office.

The deputy wasn’t injured, while the suspect, 31-year-old Marcus Maurice Williams, died. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is now leading the inquiry.

How the incident unfolded

Just after 6:30 a.m., deputies responded to the McDonald’s on Joe Frank Harris Parkway after reports of a man pulling a weapon on an employee in the drive-thru, the sheriff’s office said. The confrontation then moved to the parking lot of the Grassdale Suites Motel next door, where the shooting happened.

According to the GBI, Williams refused to obey a deputy’s commands.

The GBI said Williams then pointed the gun and shot at the deputy. The deputy returned fire, shooting Williams. He was taken to an area hospital, where he died.

No deputies were injured, according to the GBI.

Williams’ body will be taken to the GBI’s Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.

Cellphone video captured the moments after the incident. In the footage, deputies are seen swarming the area. Nearly a dozen evidence markers surrounded a Bartow County sheriff’s patrol vehicle that had a bullet hole in the driver’s side door. The entire lot was cordoned off.

Community reaction

“I heard two smaller caliber gunshots and then I heard, ‘Let me see your hands.’ Then it was about seven or eight shots after that,” said one man who lives at the motel. “After I heard the first two gunshots and, ‘Let me see your hands,’ I got on the ground.”

Neighbor Michael Carpenter said the incident rattled those who live nearby.

“You’re not safe anywhere these days,” Carpenter said. “The officers try, but they can only do so much. But you don’t know what’s going on when they’re not around. Everybody carries guns these days.”

Carpenter also noted concern for children in the area.

“We got kids running around up in here,” he said.

Investigation ongoing

The sheriff’s office has asked the GBI to investigate the incident, which is typical for shootings that involve law enforcement.

This is a developing story. Check back with Atlanta News First as we learn more.

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