State agents are investigating after officers said the man fired at them and stayed barricaded inside an overturned SUV.
COBB COUNTY, GA — Cobb County police shot and killed a 43-year-old Austell man late Friday after a traffic stop became a crash, a reported exchange of gunfire and a SWAT response near Windy Hill Road, state investigators said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation identified the man as Gregory Hill Jr. and said no officers were injured. The agency was asked by the Cobb County Police Department to conduct an independent review, a standard step after shootings involving officers in Georgia. The case now turns on body camera footage, witness statements, scene evidence and an autopsy at the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The incident began about 10:22 p.m. June 5, when a Cobb County officer tried to stop the car Hill was driving. Police said the stop was tied to reckless driving on Windy Hill Road. Hill sped away, according to investigators, and crashed near Windy Hill Road and Osborne Court about two minutes later. Local reporting described the vehicle as a Cadillac SUV that overturned near a home. A nearby resident, Darla Andres, said she and her family were outside when the crash happened. “We heard the screech and then the bang,” Andres said. Officers moved toward the SUV after the wreck, but investigators said Hill fired at them.
Police returned fire and backed away from the SUV, according to the GBI’s preliminary account. Hill remained inside the vehicle, and Cobb County police called a SWAT team for help. Investigators said officers tried to negotiate with him for about one and a half hours as the scene stayed locked down. Andres said officers used a loudspeaker during the standoff and pleaded with Hill to come out. She said nearby residents were first moved from the area and later told to get inside and lock their doors because officers did not yet know whether Hill might run or keep firing.
The shooting happened near a busy corridor in southeastern Cobb County, west of the Windy Hill Road crossing at Osborne Court. The area includes homes, local roads and commercial traffic tied to one of the county’s main east-west routes. The crash and police response drew a large law enforcement presence overnight. Authorities have not released the name of the officer who fired the fatal shot, the number of officers who fired during the encounter or the type of gun Hill was accused of using. They also have not said whether any police vehicles, homes or other property were hit by gunfire.
According to the GBI, the standoff ended when Hill displayed a gun and a Cobb County officer fired, hitting him at least once. Hill was pronounced dead at the scene. The agency said his body would be taken to the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. When the GBI finishes its investigation, the file will be sent to the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office for review. That review will determine whether prosecutors believe the officer’s use of force was legally justified or whether further action is needed.
The shooting came less than two weeks after another fatal police shooting in Cobb County, when officers killed a man outside Town Center at Cobb after a shoplifting call. In that case, authorities said the man ran from officers and pulled out a gun before an officer opened fire. The Windy Hill Road case adds another pending review for state agents and local prosecutors. Cobb police have said no officers were hurt in the latest incident. State investigators described their findings as preliminary, meaning details may change as agents interview witnesses, examine physical evidence and review police recordings.
One man at the scene told local reporters he had known Hill for decades and described him as a family man who made people laugh. He said many people knew Hill by the nickname “Lil Rowdy.” Andres said the final shot sounded close to her home after a long night of police commands and uncertainty. “That was too close for comfort,” she said. “That was awful.” Officials have not released any statement from Hill’s family, and no public briefing had been scheduled as of Saturday.
The case remained under GBI investigation Saturday, June 6. The next public steps are expected to include the medical examiner’s findings, any additional GBI updates and the eventual handoff of the completed investigative file to Cobb County prosecutors.
Author note: Last updated June 6, 2026.