Caroline Silva
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A man was arrested early Friday morning after shooting at a deputy in a vehicle outside the Gordon County Sheriff’s Office, officials said.
Amara Toure, 45, was booked into the jail, which is directly behind the sheriff’s office, and is facing charges of aggravated assault on a peace officer, possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony and theft by receiving stolen property. No deputies were struck by gunfire during Friday’s incident.
The Calhoun man entered the jail lobby located off U.S. 41 around 4 a.m. and asked the jail desk officer if the sheriff’s office was open. The officer told Toure that the office was closed, so he returned to the parking lot. A few moments later, officials said he entered the lobby again and then returned to the parking lot.
While in the parking lot, Toure took out a handgun and opened fire on a deputy sitting in a parked patrol vehicle, the sheriff’s office said. A second deputy fired a shot at Toure, who then lay down on the ground and surrendered, officials added.
Surveillance footage released of the incident appears to show Toure walking around the parking lot.
Toure, who was uninjured, was taken into custody.
The GBI was requested to conduct an independent investigation into the incident. The agency has not released any information as of Saturday morning.
According to authorities, Toure has a lengthy record that includes a January 2020 arrest for aggravated assault and cruelty to children, and prior arrests in 2019 and 2018.
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