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Brayden Hemphill

Age : 17

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 08/23/2024

Location : West Broad Street and Whitehead Road

City : Sugar Hill

County : Gwinnett

State : Georgia

Agency : Gwinnett County Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Teenager killed by police in mental health crisis

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/23/2024, Brayden Hemphill, 17, was shot and killed by Gwinnett County police during a mental health crisis near the roundabout at Whitehead Road and West Broad Street in Sugar Hill. At approximately 4:30 p.m., Hemphill called 911 and told dispatchers that he wanted to harm himself and others and said he had a gun and a knife.
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The Gwinnett County Police Department's Behavioral Health Unit was notified, and a licensed mental health clinician spoke with Hemphill by telephone while officers responded. According to police records, Hemphill told the clinician that he was depressed and suicidal. Officers encountered him near the roadway holding a knife and attempted for several minutes, along with the clinician, to persuade him to put it down.
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According to the GBI and Gwinnett County police, Hemphill then ran toward two officers while holding the knife. The officers fired, and Hemphill fell to the ground. The GBI alleged that Hemphill then got back up while still holding the knife, and officers fired again. Hemphill was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Although Hemphill had told 911 that he possessed both a handgun and a knife, the subsequent Gwinnett County police incident report stated that investigators found a knife but did not find a gun on him.
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The Gwinnett County Police Department incident report classified the incident as an "assisted suicide." The Georgia Bureau of Investigation conducted an independent investigation of the shooting for submission to the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND
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The two Gwinnett County police officers who shot Hemphill have not been publicly identified.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://gbi.georgia.gov/press-releases/2024-08-24/gbi-investigates-officer-involved-shooting-gwinnett-county
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/teen-shot-two-gwinnett-county-police-officers-report-reveals
https://www.11alive.com/article/news/crime/shooting-gwinnett-county-police-west-broad-street-whitehead-road/85-fea4349d-cf76-408b-88df-546cde77e1e5
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/sugar-hill-teen-knife-gun-shooting-whitehead-road
https://www.ajc.com/news/crime/gwinnett-police-investigate-shooting-involving-officer-in-sugar-hill/DJTKS7LT6FFEJHNDPWJTZ6D2AM/