Death Penalty Sought For Accused Gunman In GA Officer's Killing

STONE MOUNTAIN, GA — Gwinnett County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against a man accused of killing a police officer and injuring another in a shooting at a Stone Mountain hotel.

The Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office on Thursday confirmed the news to Patch.

Gwinnett County Chief Assistant District Attorney John Melvin revealed the intention to seek the death penalty against accused gunman Kevin Andrews during a court hearing Wednesday.

Andrews has been held without bond at the Gwinnett County Jail since Feb. 1, when the 36-year-old Decatur man was accused of opening fire on Master Police Officer David M. Reed and Senior Police Officer Pradeep Tamang. Both were employed with the Gwinnett County Police Department at the time.

The death sentence has been carried out via lethal injection since 2001 at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson. Before then, the state prison system utilized electrocution, according to records from the Georgia Department of Corrections.

There were 36 prisoners on death row as of Oct. 1, 2025, in Georgia, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Georgia has executed 498 people since 1924. The last person to be executed was 59-year-old Willie James Pye on March 20, 2024.

What Happened?

Reed and Tamang were responding to a fraud call around 7:30 a.m. at the East Park Place Boulevard hotel.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation previously said this was after a South Carolina resident reported to police that their credit card was fraudulently used at the Stone Mountain hotel.

A front desk manager told the officers that Andrews rented the room; and while the officers were speaking to Andrews about the card, the GBI said they determined a warrant for failure to appear out of DeKalb County was active against Andrews.

When they attempted to arrest him, the GBI said Andrews pulled out a handgun and shot at the officers, hitting both of them. The officers then shot back, injuring the man, police said.

Tamang died of his injuries at the hospital, while Reed was initially in critical condition, authorities said. Three days after the shooting, police said Reed was "doing well."

Andrews suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the shooting, authorities previously said.

He is facing charges of malice murder, felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer and receipt, possession or transfer of a firearm, jail records showed.

Additionally, there are three open cases against him in DeKalb, WSB-TV previously reported. One of them includes a charge relating to trafficking at least 400 grams of methamphetamine, the news outlet reported.

Those who knew Tamang described him as a "gentle spirit" who always had dreams of becoming a police officer and a politician. He was engaged at the time of his death.

RELATED:

• Gwinnett Officer Shot In Line Of Duty 'Doing Well'

• Family Of Slain GA Officer Remembers 'Gentle Spirit': Reports
• Gwinnett Officer Killed In Line Of Duty Shooting; 2nd Injured