Armed man randomly shoots near hikers at popular state park, Georgia cops say
A man accused of opening fire inside Stone Mountain Park has died by suicide, Georgia authorities said.
Hikers alerted police to the gunfire at about 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, near the mountain’s peak, John Bankhead with the Stone Mountain Park Police Department told McClatchy News in a phone interview.
The park bills itself as “Georgia’s most visited attraction,” offering outdoor recreation, seasonal attractions and on-site lodging options year round, according to its website.
Bankhead said it’s not clear if the man was targeting anyone, but said hikers saw the ricochets and “thought they were being shot at.”
Multiple agencies, including the DeKalb County Police Department, responded, kicking off a massive manhunt, Bankhead said. Authorities also shut down the 3,200-acre park to prevent anyone from entering or leaving.
During the search, an officer encountered a man who had crossed a fence into a restricted area of the park, according to Bankhead. The individual, who was armed, moved back from the fence, as did the officer.
After a brief conversation with police, the man died by suicide, Bankhead said.
“It’s a rare incident,” he said. “The last shooting I recall (at the park) was in 2005,” when a gate attendant was killed during an attempted robbery.
Authorities haven’t publicly released the man’s identity. His body was taken to the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy, according to authorities.
A hiker recalled the alarming moment he noticed heavily armed officers in the park.
“I had hiked to the top of the mountain,” he told WANF. “And on my way down around 5:30, I noticed police were on the mountain with assault weapons and were telling people to turn back who were hiking up.”
Bankhead said thankfully there were fewer people near the mountaintop, since it was later in the day and there were cold weather conditions.
“No one was hit,” he told McClatchy News. “No one was injured, outside of this individual.”
Authorities said the motive for the shooting isn’t known. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will handle the case, Bankhead said.
Stone Mountain is about a 20-mile drive northeast from downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published January 17, 2025 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Armed man randomly shoots near hikers at popular state park, Georgia cops say."