Man Who Shot At Douglas Officers, Civilian Pleads Guilty

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — A man who tried to shoot a civilian and several sheriff's deputies in Douglas County pleaded guilty to the crimes on Wednesday.

Andre Christopher Watson entered the plea to four counts of aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer and one count of aggravated assault for his role in two separate shootings. Superior Court Judge Cynthia Adams sentenced Watson to 40 years, with the first 20 to be served in prison.

On June 9, 2015, investigators with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Mobil gas station on Skyview Drive after 911 calls reported a shooting had just occurred there.

Upon their arrival, they spoke with a victim who said he pulled into the gas station and was driving around to park when a man later identified as Watson pulled a handgun out and began firing several rounds at him.

Multiple bullets struck the victim’s car as he tried to drive away. Prosecutors say witness spoke with officers and identified Watson as the shooter, "citing his extreme and violent beliefs as the motive for the random act of violence."

On June 20 that year, sheriff's investigators tracked Watson to an apartment in Lithia Springs. An emergency response team responded because witnesses had told investigators that Watson "had a known hatred of police officers and would likely want to harm any officers who attempted to arrest him," prosecutors said.

Officers made contact with Watson, who yelled that he was going to kill the officers and ran inside his apartment, getting .40-caliber handgun. He immediately began shooting at the officers.

During the shooting, Watson briefly stopped firing, reloaded his handgun, then fired several more shots at the officers. Officers didn't return fire, believing there may be someone in the apartment with Watson.

After the shooting, a brief standoff occurred and officers talked Watson into turning himself in. The weapon, fingerprint evidence and numerous shell casings were taking into evidence and analyzed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in preparation for Watson's trial.

Assistant District Attorney David Emadi, who prosecuted the case, stressed the dangerous nature of the crimes while praising the Douglas County Sheriff's officers.

"Even in the midst of receiving gunfire from a criminal intent on killing them, they kept their composure and didn’t do anything that might put innocent civilians in harm’s way," Emadi said.

District Attorney Brian Fortner also commended the actions of the emergency response team officers, calling them a "reflection of how well trained and disciplined they are in even the most hostile and dangerous of situations."

"The work of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the significant prison sentence imposed by Judge Adams guarantees that this dangerous defendant’s run of violent and life threatening actions has come to a stop," Fortner said.

Photo courtesy Douglas County District Attorney's Office