Man dead after exchanging gunfire with police officer

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. — A man died Wednesday after exchanging gunfire with a police officer at a Peachtree City home, authorities said.

Officers were called about 3:30 p.m. to a domestic dispute between a man and his son on Gelding Garth. When they arrived at the scene, they said a man pointed a shotgun at them and opened fire.

A Peachtree City Officer shot back, killing the man.

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Neighbors told Channel 2's Rikki Klaus they are still in disbelief over the violence that unfolded in their neighborhood.

Around 3:30 Wednesday afternoon, Quataez Hall said he was hanging out with friends at his Peachtree City house when he heard the noise from the shooting.

"We could hear it very close," Hall said. "We was standing outside and we saw the first police car go around. It was a man back here arguing with his wife."

Then he says he heard two gunshots on Gelding Garth just yards away. They ducked.

"That's the first thing we did. We ducked, and then that's when we went in the house because we heard the gunshots," Hall said. "It was pretty scary."

Investigators said the man who shot at the officers was William Dean, 67. He had gotten into a fight with his son.

Neighbors are still trying to process the shock.

"This is Peachtree City, so you never expect for that to happen," Hall told Klaus. "This is a quiet neighborhood. We don't see nothing ever happen like that."

A Peachtree City Police chaplain told Klaus that he spent four hours with the family. He said they are doing as well as they possibly could be, given the circumstances.

Dean had a wife and two adult children.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has taken over case.

Cox Media Group