A man is in Grady Hospital after he was shot and wounded by a Forest Park Police officer responding to a domestic dispute. Police did not state the man’s condition.

According to FPPD spokesperson Maj. Johnson, a “third party” called around 11:23 a.m. to report a domestic incident between a mother and adult son in the 800 block of Warren Drive.

Officers “arrived on scene and encountered the male subject, the son, who has not been identified—I am not identifying at this time,” she told The Clayton Crescent. “After conversating with the subject, trying to get him to cooperate with law enforcement, he produced a weapon and one of the officers fired one shot, striking the male subject.”

The mother and officers were not injured.

A reliable source told The Clayton Crescent the man had been armed with a “long gun.”

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is working the scene, as is policy for an officer-involved shooting.

(Photo: Robin Kemp/The Clayton Crescent)

A rash of shootings as holidays near

This was the second officer-involved shooting in Clayton County in 24 hours. On Monday, a Clayton County Police officer fatally shot a Stone Mountain man in Morrow who police say had guns in a car stolen from Rome. Monday night, a man with a rifle was shot dead and an officer was wounded after the man opened fire on police at a Lithonia gas station.

Those incidents all took place after a man opened fire with a rifle inside Club Q in Colorado Springs Saturday night, killing five people and wounding at least 25. The suspect, who was hospitalized, was beaten into submission by three patrons and faces at least five counts of murder and possible federal hate crimes charges.

Family issues, the holiday season, and events in the news or in politics can add to everyone’s stress. If you are a firearms owner, you have options to keep yourself and those around you safe during difficult times.

Options for firearms owners

Hold My Guns is a national program that does exactly that: holds your firearms for you, no questions asked, if you are going through a tough time. No one will think less of you for doing so.

In Georgia, you can contact American Trailhead, 3545 North Parkway, Unit 3565 in Cumming to hold your firearms. Their number is (866) 443-5531.

Co-founders Gerry Summey and Michael Dutch Summey issued this statement about the program: “People from all walks of life are navigating complicated situations, many times not of their choosing. American Trailhead™, LLC is proud to partner with Hold My Guns to bring a new private-sector solution to help people in crisis. As HMG’s first FFL Storage Partner in Georgia, together we can help keep people and property safe by offering voluntary firearms storage to the public and front-line professionals. We are strongly committed to the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, including Americans’ private property and 2A rights. Deescalating a temporary personal situation and preventing even just one death or suicide is a tremendous success. God has certainly blessed our family and business, and we are honored to utilize our resources in a way that will save lives. We take great satisfaction from working in an industry with like-minded people that go beyond normal business activities to have a positive impact on individuals, families, and communities.”

If Cumming is too far away or you don’t have transportation, ask a trusted friend, firearms instructor, or range owner whether they might consider holding your firearms temporarily. Interested federal firearms licensees can apply to take part in the program.

You also can contact a local pastor or other faith leader or dial 211 for help talking about your problems. You can find many useful resources right here in Clayton County at https://www.oneclayton.org/mentalhealth/.

Other numbers you can call include:

Please share this information with your social media network, friends, family, and neighbors.

Robin Kemp is executive editor and CEO of The Clayton Crescent, which she founded in 2020. She has worked for Gambit, CNN, The Weather Channel, Clayton News, Henry Herald, and numerous freelance outlets....

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