Atlanta police officer shot while responding to mental health crisis, suspect in custody

An Atlanta police officer is expected to recover after he was shot in the arm while responding to a mental health crisis in southwest Atlanta on Monday morning.

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said officer DaVante Matthews, 30, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in stable condition.  Schierbaum said Matthews is expected to make a full recovery.

Police were called to a home at 1421 Clark Howard Lane SW around 8:41 a.m. after receiving a report about a person experiencing a mental health crisis who had a gun, Schierbaum said.

Officers had responded to the home several times before for similar calls, according to the chief. 

Schierbaum said the suspect fired at officers as they tried to handle the situation, striking Matthews in the arm. Other officers provided first aid and moved him away from the scene while continuing to work toward a peaceful arrest.

Police took 24-year-old Michael Gates into custody. Schierbaum said Gates was being taken to Atlanta Public Safety Headquarters and would face charges, including attempting to take the life of an APD officer. He did not announce any other specific charges during the news conference.

Mayor Andre Dickens and Schierbaum left a city Cabinet meeting after learning about the shooting and arrived at Grady as Matthews was brought to the hospital.

"We were right here when he came off of the ambulance," Dickens said. "Chief Schierbaum and I were able to shake his hand and talk to him and tell him he's going to be OK ... We're grateful Grady continues to save lives and render aid to everybody in the metro Atlanta community."

Dickens said Matthews was emotional, shaken and in pain after the shooting. His partner contacted his mother, who was on her way to the hospital.

"Thank God the bullet didn't hit anything major," Dickens said.

Matthews has served with the Atlanta Police Department since September 2019 and is assigned to the Zone 4 precinct's day watch. No other injuries were reported.

Mayor calls for more mental health resources

Dickens said Gates has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other conditions. 

"Mental health is real. Mental illness is real in our community," Dickens said.

The mayor called on state and county leaders to provide more mental health care, saying local police officers are repeatedly sent to handle crises that could place officers, residents and those experiencing mental illness in danger.

"We could've been looking at a life lost of a civilian or a police officer," Dickens said.

Dickens said Georgia is facing a mental health crisis and urged candidates seeking state and county offices to make the issue a priority.

"We want to make sure that we solve these problems before we have to solve them here at Grady or, unfortunately, somewhere else because an individual has lost their life," he said.