29-year-old man shot, killed by Douglas deputies after search for man with gun at Special Olympics

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has confirmed that a man has died after being shot by Douglas County deputies on Wednesday afternoon.

New Manchester High School held its Special Olympics event early Wednesday afternoon. Deputies told Channel 2′s Bryan Mims that a man showed up at the event with a gun.

Around 11:18 a.m., school resource officers were alerted to the man, but when they spoke to him, he ran away.

Deputies and K-9 began searching the perimeter and responded to a home on Ferncrest Place.

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A man, later identified as 29-year-old Steven Blunt, came out of the home, began to have a brief conversation with investigators, pulled out a gun, and began shooting, according to the GBI.

Blunt was taken to a nearby hospital where he later died from his injuries.

NewsChopper 2 spotted multiple patrol cars in the Anneewakee Falls neighborhood and at the school’s stadium off Highway 92.

“We ended up putting K-9s on the ground and then at some point we found the cell phone. It led us to this residence. I’m not sure if it was the male or not,” Capt. Trent Wilson said.

Wilson said the man who answered the door at the home matched the description of the man at the school, but could not confirm if they were the same person.

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Ring camera footage provided to Channel 2 Action News shows the moment that led up to the shooting.

The woman who lives at the home did not want to be identified. She describes the man as a friend living with her.

In the video, it appears to show a couple of sheriff’s deputies speaking with him briefly. The man then pulls out a gun and shoots. At that point, deputies shoot back.

Wilson said it’s unclear why the man was at the school.

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Douglas County Schools spokesperson confirmed the high school was under a Code Red, but it has been lifted.

“We had several district safety protocols in place and every one of them was followed. We did a Code Red. We immediately notified the parents,” Portia Lake said.

A school system spokesperson says all New Manchester students and staff are safe.

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