Officer Injured In Shooting While Responding To Mental Health Call: APD

ATLANTA, GA — An early morning shooting injured a police officer and a woman Monday in the 1400 block of Clark Howard Lane Southwest, Atlanta Police said.

Officers responded around 8:45 a.m. to a call regarding a person who police said was experiencing a mental health crisis.

APD had been at the home multiple times prior to the incident involving someone in a mental health crisis, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said at the news conference.

This time, when they arrived, police said the officers encountered an armed man inside the home.

The man shot and injured an APD officer in the arm, police said. Authorities quickly rendered aid to the officer, who was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment, police said.

Officers also found a woman inside the home with an apparent gunshot wound to the leg, police said.

Both the officer who was injured and the woman were alert and breathing, police said.

The man was disarmed and taken into custody without further incident, police said. Schierbaum identified him as Michael Gates, 24, who he said will be charged "for attempting to take the life of an Atlanta police officer."

During a news conference, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the officer was stable.

The officer has been with APD since September 2019 and is assigned to the Zone 4 precinct on day watch, Schierbaum said.

"We're just grateful that Grady continues to save lives and render aid and support to everybody in this greater metro Atlanta community," Dickens said.