Report reveals: Teenager shot by two Gwinnett County police officers

GWINNETT COUNTY, Georgia. – New details were released Friday in the investigation of a 17-year-old boy who was shot and killed by Gwinnett County police last month after threatening to harm himself and others.

In the incident report released Friday by Gwinnett County police, the crime was described as “assisted suicide.”

Brayden Hemphill called 911 around 4:30 p.m. on August 23 and threatened to hurt himself and others. He told operators he was armed with a knife and a gun. Officers responded to the traffic circle at the intersection of Whitehead Road and West Broad Street, where the teenager was located.

The incident report states that when officers arrived, Hemphill was on the phone with a mental health clinician and told him to drop the weapons. Hemphill stated that he was suffering from depression and was having suicidal thoughts, but continued to refuse to drop the weapons.

Two officers at the scene spotted Hemphill with a knife in his hand just before he sprinted toward them, according to the incident report. After repeated orders to stop, the officers opened fire, hitting Hemphill.

Paramedics arrived and pronounced Hemphill dead at the scene.

Police said no weapon was found on Hemphill, but he was armed with the knife mentioned above.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has launched an independent investigation into the incident, as is standard procedure following police-involved shootings in the state.

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