Police kill gunman outside Athens supermarket

A man from Athens was killed early Sunday morning after an exchange of gunfire with police officers in front of a supermarket in the east of the city.

Marquavious Sims, 26, was killed after authorities said he threatened people with what they believed was a machine gun.

The incident is being investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which has released the following information:

Preliminary information indicates that on Sunday, August 11, 2024, at approximately 1:20 a.m., a person called 911 to report that a man had pulled out a “machine gun” and was waving it around. ACCPD officers responding to the call saw Sims with the weapon inside a Verizon store near the intersection of Lexington Road and Gaines School Road in Athens. Sims ran across the street and into the parking lot of a Quick Trip gas station. Officers pursued Sims, repeatedly yelling for him to drop the weapon. At one point, Sims turned and fired the weapon at the pursuing officers. Two officers returned fire, striking Sims multiple times. Officers rendered emergency medical aid until paramedics arrived. Sims was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Sims’ body is taken to the GBI Crime Lab in Decatur, Georgia for an autopsy.

The GBI will continue to conduct an independent investigation. Once the investigation is complete, it will be turned over to the Clarke County District Attorney’s Office for review.