First responders kill defiant man armed with knife at house fire, GA police say

A report of someone trapped in a burning home took an unexpected turn when an armed man blocked police from getting through the door, according to investigators in Georgia.

It happened around 3:40 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, in the Berkeley Lakes subdivision of Locust Grove, and officers resorted to using deadly force, the Locust Grove Police Department said in a news release.

“Officers forced entry into the back door of the residence and encountered a male suspect armed with a large knife. After multiple de-escalation and less-then-lethal options failed, the suspect was ultimately shot by an officer,” police said. “The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.”

A search of the four-bedroom home led to the discovery of a dead woman in an upstairs bedroom, police said. She “had been severely burned,” police said.

Henry County Fire/EMS then extinguished the house fire, officials said.

The identities of the man and woman have not been released, and investigators have not said how the woman died.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is joining the investigation, due to the use of deadly force by police, officials said.

Locust Grove is a city of just under 10,000 people, about a 35-mile southeast from Atlanta.

This story was originally published September 4, 2025 at 2:21 PM with the headline "First responders kill defiant man armed with knife at house fire, GA police say."