GBI Investigates Officer Involved Shooting in Bartow County

Bartow County, GA (August 19, 2024) - At the request of the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office, GBI agents are investigating an officer involved shooting in Bartow County. Chris Cochran, age 60, of Adairsville, GA, was shot and killed in the incident. No officers were injured.

On August 18, 2024, at about 4 p.m., Bartow County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a home on Wesley Mill Drive in Adairsville, GA, after Cochran made death threats against his wife and a crisis intervention team that had responded to assist. Cochran’s wife and the intervention team had taken shelter across the street in a neighbor’s house. Bartow County deputies responded to the neighbor’s house to help protect them. Cochran was known to have a large number of rifles in his house. Cochran ran back inside his home, which is across the street from where the wife was located. Cochran began to break windows of his home, threatening to kill them.

SWAT was deployed to remove the deputies, wife, and witnesses, and to take Cochran into custody. Cochran pointed a long gun out of a second story window and repeatedly threatened SWAT, the deputies, and the witnesses outside. A SWAT officer shot Cochran.

Cochran was pronounced dead at the scene by the Bartow County Coroner’s Office. His body will be taken to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office where an autopsy will be performed.

The GBI will conduct an independent investigation. Once complete, the file will be given to the Cherokee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.