Armed man shot and killed by deputies; man’s mother found dead, Cherokee County sheriff says

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Two people are dead and a deputy is injured after a shooting at a home in Cherokee County on Saturday, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies were making a welfare check at a home on Whisperwood Trail in Acworth after 6:30 p.m., when they encountered an armed man.

“When deputies arrived on the scene, they were immediately met by an armed man outside and a shooting occurred between our deputies and that individual and he was killed,” said Cpt. Jay Baker, public information officer with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.

One of the deputies was injured in the incident and was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, where he was treated and released.

After the shooting, deputies smelled a decaying odor and found a woman inside the home. It is unknown how long the woman had been dead due to the state of decomposition.

According to the sheriff’s office, the woman is the mother of the 26-year-old man that deputies shot.

“We don’t know if he lived there, if he was visiting, how long he’d been there or how long she’d been deceased,” Cpt. Baker said.

Her body has been sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) crime lab for an autopsy.

The sheriff’s office says names will not be released at this time “pending notification of family.”

Luis Vilora, who lives across the street, told Atlanta News First he did not know the names of either the man or woman. He said he may have seen the man only once or twice before.

“It’s pretty strange,” Vilora said. “We don’t know people, you have lived with people sometimes for a lot of time, you say hello to them, but we don’t really know the person or what they do.”

GBI is investigating the shooting while the sheriff’s office investigates the woman’s death.

This is a developing story. Return to Atlanta News First for updates.