GBI identifies man killed by police after agency says he shot Cobb officer

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Jun. 14—The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has identified the man killed by police after they say he shot a Cobb police officer on Sunday afternoon.

The GBI says Luis Rey Ruiz, 20, of Kennesaw, was killed when "several members of the Cobb County SWAT" fired at him, following an hours-long manhunt.

The Cobb County officer shot Sunday afternoon was transported to a local area hospital and is expected to recover from his injuries. No other officers were injured.

The GBI says the day's incidents began when Cobb Police officers were called to a home on North Shores Road near Acworth around 3:30 p.m. in reference to a domestic dispute.

When officers arrived at the location, a man later identified as Ruiz, shot one of the officers. Cobb Police said Sunday Ruiz drew a gun and shot the officer at point blank range while they spoke.

Sgt. Wayne Delk, a spokesman for the Cobb County Police Department, said the officer's protective vest may have saved his life.

According to the GBI, the officer returned fire and struck Ruiz as he ran from the scene.

"At approximately 6:40 p.m., Cobb County SWAT located Ruiz in the area of 5870 North Shores Road NW, a short distance from the location of the original 911 call," the GBI release said.

The GBI said Ruiz died at the scene after being shot multiple times, and a firearm was located by his side.

Cobb Police and the GBI said Cobb County SWAT, as well as members of Kennesaw and Acworth Police, assisted in locating Ruiz.

The Cobb County Medical Examiner's Office is expected to perform an autopsy.

The GBI investigates officer-involved shootings by request, and those requests represent the majority of those types of shootings. In Cobb, Delk says all officer-involved shootings are investigated by the GBI.

The GBI says it will conduct an independent investigation of the Sunday shootings, and once complete, findings will be turned over to the Cobb County District Attorney's Office for review.

This is the 40th officer involved shooting the GBI has been requested to investigate in 2021.

Follow Thomas Hartwell on Twitter at twitter.com/MDJThomas.