Sheriff's deputies fatally shoot 2 people while serving a warrant in Georgia

Sheriff’s deputies serving a warrant in another county have shot and killed two people in northeast Georgia on Tuesday

ByThe Associated Press
July 17, 2024, 12:06 PM

ALTO, Ga. -- Sheriff's deputies who were serving a warrant in another county shot and killed two people in northeast Georgia on Tuesday.

The Forysth County Sheriff's Office said deputies were serving an arrest warrant on a sex offender for violating the conditions of his probation in the Banks County town of Alto.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said deputies arrived at the home around 9:30 a.m. When they entered the home after 11 a.m., deputies shot and killed people identified as Joshua Everett Emmett, 45, of Alto, and Meagan Victoria Feaster, 33, of Forsyth.

Emmett is listed in Georgia's sex offender registry as having been convicted in 2012 of child molestation, sexual battery against a child younger than 16 and felony statutory rape.

Officials did not say what happened before deputies entered the home. Neither the GBI nor sheriff’s officials said why the deputies shot the people. Both died before they could be taken to a hospital.

No deputies were injured.

Banks County sheriff’s deputies were present but not involved in the shooting. It's not unusual for law enforcement officers to serve a warrant in another jurisdiction in Georgia.

The GBI is performing autopsies on the bodies of Emmett and Feaster.

The GBI declined to answer further questions Wednesday, including whether either Emmett or Feaster was armed.

The GBI is investigating, as is typical for most police shootings in Georgia. The Banks County district attorney will decide whether criminal charges are merited after the investigation is complete.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office is also investigating.