Authorities on Tuesday fatally shot a gunman accused of wounding one person at a Veterans Affairs clinic in Jasper, Ga. File Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI | License Photo
Police fatally shot a gunman Tuesday at a Veterans Affairs clinic in rural Georgia where the suspect opened fire and wounded one person, authorities said.
The incident occurred midday at the Pickens County VA Clinic in Jasper, a town of about 5,290 people located 60 miles north of Atlanta.
Multiple officers from the Jasper Police Department were dispatched at 1:30 p.m. EDT to the clinic located in a small plaza on East Church St., where they confronted and shot the suspected gunman, the city of Jasper said in a statement.
VA Secretary Doug Collins said the unidentified suspect was killed.
“The threat is eliminated,” he said in a social media statement.
Officers also located a single victim at the scene, who was airlifted to a hospital. Their condition was unknown.
Little information about the shooting was made public. Jasper Police Chief Matt Dawkins was unable to tell reporters during a press conference if the victim was an employee at the clinic or if the suspect had sought services there.
The suspected gunman was from Jasper, he said.
“We do know [the shooting] happened, but we don’t know what led up to it,” he said.
Dawkins explained that officers confronted the suspect outside the clinic where he was killed.
The shooting will be “eye-opening” for the residents of Jasper, he said.
“Shock, a lot of shock factor.”
Collins said a team from VA headquarters would arrive in Georgia on Wednesday “to ensure clinic employees get the support they need.”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he was monitoring the situation.
“I ask all Georgians to join us in praying for those impacted and for our first responders,” he said online.
The shooting will be investigated by the FBI, Dawkins said.
The clinic will remain closed during the investigation, VA press secretary Pete Kasperowicz said.
“While the threat has been neutralized, the Pickens County VA Clinic is now closed and will remain so for the rest of the week pending an investigation, which will be led by local authorities with help from VA’s Office of Inspector General,” Kasperowicz said.
“VA is rescheduling appointments as necessary and ensuring Veterans and staff have access to counseling and chaplin services in the wake of this tragic event.”
