Late Wednesday afternoon turned tense in Marietta when 26-year-old Rebekah Patterson was shot by a Cobb County police officer after a brief but frightening confrontation outside the Cobb County Police Department headquarters. Authorities say the incident began around 4:00 p.m. at the police building on Fairground Street when Patterson walked in asking to speak with an officer.
Witnesses and official accounts from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) paint a stark picture of how quickly things escalated. Patterson met with an officer outside the building, but almost immediately pulled out a handgun. She pointed it at the officer, who responded with repeated orders for her to drop the weapon. According to investigators, she did not comply.
After moments that remain unclear, the officer fired at Patterson. She was struck multiple times and fell to the ground in the police headquarters parking area. Fellow officers who were inside rushed out to render aid while emergency medical teams were called to the scene.
Patterson was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, where she remains under care. Law enforcement officials confirmed no officers were injured during the confrontation.
The GBI is leading the investigation into what happened, as is routine in incidents where officers discharge their firearms. Crime scene tape stretched across much of the headquarters parking lot Wednesday evening, with investigators cataloguing evidence and speaking to onlookers. When the GBI completes its work, the case file will be handed over to the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office for review.
Neighbors and colleagues of Patterson have not publicly spoken about her motives. As of now, it’s still unclear why she came to the police headquarters that afternoon and what she hoped to accomplish by demanding to talk to an officer.
For the community in Marietta and surrounding Cobb County, the shooting has been a sobering reminder of how quickly routine interactions with law enforcement can become life threatening. People passing by the headquarters reported a heavy police presence, a cordoned-off parking lot and concerns from locals hoping for more answers in the days ahead.
