In the quiet routine of a fraud investigation at a suburban Atlanta hotel, two officers entered a room expecting a conversation and encountered instead a sudden act of lethal violence. Officer Pradeep Tamang, 25, a young man who had traveled from Nepal to serve his adopted community, did not survive. His partner, Officer David Reed, remains hospitalized. The event is a somber reminder that danger does not announce itself, and that those who walk toward uncertainty on behalf of others carry a weight the rest of us rarely measure.
Georgia police officer killed in hotel room shootout; suspect wounded
Officer Pradeep Tamang, 25, was killed; Officer David Reed was seriously wounded; the suspect was also shot but expected to survive.
invited them inside, then opened fire without warning
Mark
So this started as a credit card fraud call—the kind of thing that seems almost routine?
Mimi
Exactly. Someone in another state noticed their card was being used at this hotel, called it in, and officers went to talk to the person. The front desk knew which room.
Luke
And we know for certain that Andrews invited them in? That's from the police chief's statement?
Mimi
Yes, Chief McClure said he greeted them at the door and invited them inside. They started discussing the fraud incident.
Mark
Then what changed? How does that become a shooting?
Mimi
According to McClure, at some point Andrews produced a handgun and fired at them without provocation. One officer fired back and hit Andrews.
Luke
So we have the police account of what happened inside that room. Do we have Andrews's account, or his attorney's?
Mimi
Not yet. It wasn't immediately known whether he had an attorney at the time of reporting.
Mark
Officer Tamang had only been on the job for about a year?
Mimi
Just over a year. He was 25, originally from Nepal. Officer Reed, the other one, was hospitalized in serious but stable condition.
Luke
And Andrews was also shot but expected to survive?
Mimi
That's what the police chief said. He was undergoing medical treatment.
Mark
What happens to Andrews now?
Luke
The GBI will investigate and work with local prosecutors on charges. But that's still ahead of us—the story as it stands is just the incident itself and the immediate aftermath.
Le Pouls
- What began as a routine credit card fraud call became a fatal ambush the moment a suspect invited officers inside and opened fire without warning.
- Officer Pradeep Tamang, 25 and just over a year on the force, was pronounced dead at the hospital — one of the department's newest members and its latest loss.
- Officer David Reed survived but remains hospitalized in serious condition, while the suspect, Kevin Andrews, was shot by a returning officer and is expected to live.
- The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has taken over the case, as is standard in officer-involved shootings, with charges against Andrews still to be determined.
- Governor Brian Kemp and department leadership are grappling publicly with the grief of losing an officer on a call that carried no visible signs of danger.
In the quiet routine of a fraud investigation at a suburban Atlanta hotel, two officers entered a room expecting a conversation and encountered instead a sudden act of lethal violence. Officer Pradeep Tamang, 25, a young man who had traveled from Nepal to serve his adopted community, did not survive. His partner, Officer David Reed, remains hospitalized. The event is a somber reminder that danger does not announce itself, and that those who walk toward uncertainty on behalf of others carry a weight the rest of us rarely measure.
On a Sunday morning near Stone Mountain, Georgia, two Gwinnett County officers responded to what seemed like a straightforward matter — a credit card flagged for fraudulent use at a local hotel. The front desk pointed them to the room in question, and the man inside, 35-year-old Kevin Andrews of Decatur, opened the door and welcomed them in.
The conversation never had a chance to begin. Without warning or escalation, Andrews drew a handgun and fired. One officer returned fire, wounding Andrews, but the damage had already been done. Officer Pradeep Tamang, 25 years old and a native of Nepal who had joined the department just over a year ago, was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead. His partner, Officer David Reed, was hospitalized in serious but stable condition. Andrews, despite being shot, was expected to survive.
Police Chief J.D. McClure described the attack as entirely unprovoked — the suspect had been cordial, had invited the officers inside, and then opened fire. Governor Brian Kemp called it a stark reminder of the daily dangers officers face, while the Georgia Bureau of Investigation assumed control of the case, as it does with all officer-involved shootings in the state. Charges against Andrews are pending, and as of the latest reports, it was unknown whether he had legal representation.
A Gwinnett County police officer was shot and killed Sunday morning at a hotel near Stone Mountain, Georgia, about 25 miles northeast of Atlanta, after responding to a fraud report that turned into a gunfight inside a guest room.
Officers had been dispatched to the hotel after someone in another state reported that their credit card had been used fraudulently at the location. The front desk directed the responding officers to the room of the person who had made the charge. When they arrived, the man inside—later identified as 35-year-old Kevin Andrews of Decatur—opened the door and invited them in to discuss the matter.
What happened next was sudden and violent. As the officers began talking through the details of the fraud allegation, Andrews produced a handgun and fired at them without warning, according to Gwinnett County Police Chief J.D. McClure. One of the officers returned fire, striking Andrews, but not before the suspect had already inflicted fatal wounds.
Officer Pradeep Tamang, 25 years old, was pronounced dead at a hospital from injuries sustained in the shooting. Tamang, who was born in Nepal, had been with the Gwinnett County Police Department for just over a year. Officer David Reed, the second officer in the room, was hospitalized in serious but stable condition following the incident. Andrews, despite being shot by one of the officers, was expected to survive his injuries and was receiving medical treatment.
The shooting underscores the unpredictability officers face during what appear to be routine calls. A credit card fraud investigation—typically a low-risk administrative matter—escalated into a lethal confrontation in seconds. Chief McClure's account made clear there was no warning, no escalation that might have signaled danger. The suspect greeted the officers cordially, invited them inside, and then opened fire.
Governor Brian Kemp released a statement on social media acknowledging the toll such incidents take on law enforcement, calling the shooting "the latest reminder of the dangers law enforcement face on a daily basis" and expressing gratitude for officers who put themselves at risk to protect others.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which handles all officer-involved shootings in the state as standard procedure, took over the case. The agency and local prosecutors will determine what charges Andrews will face. As of the time of reporting, it was unclear whether Andrews had retained legal representation.
Citations marquantes
At some point the suspect produced a handgun and, in an unprovoked attack, fired at our Gwinnett County police officers.— Gwinnett County Police Chief J.D. McClure
This is the latest reminder of the dangers law enforcement face on a daily basis, and we are grateful for every one that puts themselves in harm's way to protect their fellow Georgians.— Governor Brian Kemp
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