Officer Shoots Man in Gainesville Shopping Center After Suspect Fired at Police Responding to Domestic Disturbance Thursday Afternoon

GAINESVILLE, GA — A Gainesville police officer shot a man Thursday afternoon after the man fired at officers responding to a domestic disturbance call at a shopping center, authorities said. The officer and the suspect were both taken to the hospital after the gunfire at the New Holland Market shopping center on Jesse Jewell Parkway.

Officials said the call involved a man and a woman in the rear of the shopping center. When an officer reached the scene, the man allegedly fired at least one shot, prompting the officer to return fire and strike him. The man was rushed to Northeast Georgia Medical Center and was listed in critical condition in the last update.

Call to the rear of New Holland Market led officers to Jesse Jewell Parkway

The incident unfolded at the rear of the New Holland Market shopping center on the 1900 block of Jesse Jewell Parkway. Gainesville police said officers were sent there after reports of a domestic disturbance involving a man and a woman.

Authorities did not immediately say how the encounter began before police arrived, but they confirmed that the call centered on a dispute involving the two people. The shopping center setting added to the danger, since the exchange happened in a public commercial area during the afternoon.

Police have not released further details about the relationship between the man and the woman or whether anyone else was nearby when shots were fired. The circumstances surrounding the initial disturbance remain part of the active investigation.

Police say the man fired first when an officer arrived

According to authorities, the situation escalated quickly once an officer got to the scene. Police said the man involved fired at least one shot at that point.

The officer then returned fire, striking the suspect. Officials have not said how many shots were exchanged or whether the officer was alone when the confrontation happened. They also have not identified the officer involved.

The use of gunfire during a domestic disturbance call can make an already volatile scene even more dangerous for everyone nearby. In this case, police said the officer and suspect were both hurt enough to require hospital treatment, though only the suspect’s condition was described publicly.

Suspect remained in critical condition at Northeast Georgia Medical Center

Medics transported the injured man to Northeast Georgia Medical Center after the shooting. Officials said he was in critical condition as of the latest update available Thursday.

The officer was also taken to the hospital for medical evaluation. Authorities did not say whether the officer had physical injuries beyond the need for evaluation, and no additional medical details were released.

The man’s identity has not been made public. Gainesville police have not said when they expect to release more information about his condition or whether any charges will follow the shooting.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation asked to handle the case

The Gainesville Police Department has requested that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation take over the shooting probe. That outside review is common in officer-involved shootings, especially when investigators need to reconstruct exactly what happened before and during the use of force.

At this stage, officials have given only a basic timeline: a domestic disturbance call, an officer’s arrival, gunfire from the suspect, and the officer’s return fire. The GBI will now examine those events, along with witness accounts and any physical evidence from the scene.

Police have not announced a timeline for the investigation or said when additional findings might be released. For now, the case remains centered on the sequence of events that turned a disturbance call into a shooting at a busy shopping center.

What officials have confirmed and what remains unknown

Authorities have confirmed the location, the type of call, the injuries, and the decision to bring in state investigators. They have also confirmed that the officer and suspect were both hospitalized after the incident Thursday afternoon.

Several key questions remain unanswered. Police have not released the injured man’s name, have not described the weapon used, and have not explained whether the woman named in the initial call was hurt or still at the scene when shots were fired.

The department also has not said what led up to the domestic disturbance or whether the man and woman knew each other. Those details may come later as the Georgia Bureau of Investigation continues its review.