A Chamblee police officer shot and wounded a 27-year-old man at a Motel 6 on Saturday morning after, according to preliminary findings released by state investigators, the man fired at the officer from his motel room. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has opened an independent investigation into the shooting at the request of the Chamblee Police Department.

Source: Georgia Bureau of Investigation

The man shot in the incident was identified by the GBI as Jorge Alberto Hernandez Mata, age 27, of Honduras. He was hit once, received medical assistance at the scene, and was transported to a local hospital, where he remains in stable condition, the agency said. No officers were injured.

What investigators say happened

According to the GBI's preliminary information, at about 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 14, 2026, a Chamblee Police Department officer responded to the Motel 6 located at 2820 Chamblee-Tucker Road in Chamblee, in DeKalb County, after a complaint of a man with a gun in the lobby.

When the officer arrived, the man — later identified as Mata — had returned to his room. The officer drove to the area of Mata's room, got out of the patrol car, and began speaking with Mata at a distance while Mata stood in the room with the door open, the GBI said.

Investigators say Mata then shot at the officer, and the officer returned fire, hitting Mata once. Mata ran from the room and the officer pursued him on foot. Mata was taken into custody in the area of an access road near the motel, given medical aid at the scene, and taken to hospital. These are preliminary findings from an active investigation and have not been tested in court.

Why the GBI, and not Chamblee police, is investigating

The Chamblee Police Department asked the GBI to take over the case, which is the standard practice in Georgia when a local officer fires their weapon: an outside state agency investigates so that the department involved is not investigating itself. Local outlets in metro Atlanta also reported a heavy police presence in the area on Saturday and confirmed that the GBI had taken over the investigation.

Source: Atlanta Focal / Focal News

The GBI said it will conduct an independent investigation. Once that investigation is complete, the case file will be given to the DeKalb Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office for review — the step at which prosecutors decide whether any charges or further action follow. The GBI release did not list any charges against Mata, and the agency described the investigation as active and ongoing.

What happens next

GBI agents will interview the officer and witnesses, review any motel and body-camera footage, and document the scene at the motel on Chamblee-Tucker Road, a busy commercial corridor in DeKalb County just northeast of Atlanta. Anyone with information is asked to call the GBI Atlanta Regional Investigative Office in Conyers at 770-388-5019. Anonymous tips can be submitted through the GBI Tipline at 800-597-TIPS (8477), online, or through the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

For readers in metro Atlanta's large immigrant communities, the case will be watched for two reasons: the man at the centre of it is a Honduran national, and the shooting is now in the hands of a state agency and then county prosecutors rather than the department whose officer fired. Awaaz Punjab will update this story when the GBI or the District Attorney's office releases further findings.