Rossville, Georgia - On Saturday, January 30, 2016 at 2:00 AM, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) was requested by the Walker County Sheriff's Office to investigate an officer involved shooting incident that occurred on Sheila Gail Lane in Rossville during a SWAT standoff.

Preliminary information indicates that at about 6:15 PM, last night on January 29, the Walker County Sheriff’s Office and Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call of a shooting at a Sheila Gail Lane residence, near the county line.  The 911 caller, a private propane contractor, had been dispatched to the residence for a service request.  The resident, identified as Jose Alegre, age 64, reportedly became irate threatening to shoot the caller if he did not leave the residence.  As the caller was leaving, Alegre began shooting at him. The caller was not hit by any of the gunfire and was able to escape.

As Walker and Catoosa County deputies arrived, attempts were made to contact Alegre, who had barricaded himself inside his home. Alegre would not respond to deputies’ verbal commands and numerous attempts to initiate dialog. Walker County authorities obtained a search warrant for the residence and an arrest warrant for aggravated assault for Alegre.  The Walker County SWAT team, which is comprised of deputies from Walker County and LaFayette Police, arrived on scene. Into the morning hours of Saturday January 30, around 12:37 AM, after continued attempts to make contact with Alegre were unsuccessful, the SWAT team deployed gas into the residence at which point Alegre began shooting at officers. Deputies’ continued to initiate conversation with Alegre over a period of time and were unsuccessful. At about 1:48 AM, the SWAT team deployed into the home and were met by gunfire from Alegre.  The SWAT team returned fire, killing Alegre. 

An autopsy will be performed by the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office at GBI Headquarters in Decatur. The deputies and officers involved in the incident were not injured.

The GBI will conduct an independent and thorough investigation to determine what occurred during the incident. When the investigation is complete, it will be turned over to the Walker County District Attorney’s Office for review.

Contact:  Scott Dutton | [email protected] | 404/270-8330