ROSWELL, Ga. — A bulletproof vest saved a SWAT police officer\u2019s life just before he returned fire and killed a fleeing man Friday in an Atlanta suburb, the police chief said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A SWAT team in Roswell was serving arrest and search warrants when a man ran out the back of a house and encountered an officer, said Police Chief James Conroy at a news conference. The fleeing man fired a handgun, twice striking the officer in the chest, before the officer shot back and killed the man, Conroy said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The chief said the officer was hit by shrapnel but protected from more serious wounds by his bulletproof vest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt appears the vest has saved his life, but he did suffer injuries from the incident,” Conroy said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is now leading the inquiry into the shooting by the officer, as is typical in Georgia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Officers came to the house looking to arrest a man accused of firing a gun into the air on New Year\u2019s Eve after being asked to leave a party. Conroy said that after officers investigated, they found the man had a violent criminal history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That’s when police decided to call in the SWAT team jointly operated by four cities in northern Fulton County to serve warrants, Conroy said. Those were for reckless conduct, firing a gun on someone else’s property and being a convicted felon in possession of a gun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conroy couldn’t confirm that the man who died was the person police were trying to arrest. He said the four other adults in the house were cooperating with police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conroy declined to identify the wounded officer or say which police department he worked for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n