Georgia · Atlanta · Developing
DeVante Matthews Shot in Oakland City, Atlanta GA: APD Officer Out of Hospital; Michael Gates in Custody
Officers answering a 911 call about an armed man in a mental health crisis were fired on inside a Clark Howard Lane home, the GBI says, and one officer was hit in the arm. Officers returned fire. A woman who lives there was also hurt. Both were treated and released.
Key facts
- What
- An Atlanta police officer was shot inside a home officers had entered on a 911 call; officers returned fire
- Where
- 1400 block of Clark Howard Lane SW, Oakland City, southwest Atlanta
- When
- Monday, Aug. 17, 2026 — about 8:45 a.m., per the GBI
- Officer
- DeVante Matthews, 30, Zone 4 day watch, with APD since September 2019
- Condition
- Shot in the arm, taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, treated and released
- Also injured
- A woman who lives in the home; treated and released
- In custody
- Michael Gates, 24, of Atlanta — not injured, per the GBI
- Agencies
- GBI has the officer-involved shooting; APD has the aggravated assault
- Review
- Fulton County District Attorney's Office
- Status
- Gates is accused, not convicted; no filed charges have been announced
- What happened on Clark Howard Lane?
- Where in Atlanta is Oakland City?
- What condition is Officer DeVante Matthews in?
- Who else was hurt inside the home?
- Who is in custody, and what did the chief say about charges?
- Who is investigating the Oakland City shooting?
- What we don't know yet
- Who takes information about this case?
- Frequently asked questions
What happened on Clark Howard Lane?
An Atlanta police officer was shot in the arm Monday morning after officers walked into a southwest Atlanta home on a 911 call, and the officers fired back. He was out of the hospital by Monday afternoon, officials said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the shooting at the Atlanta Police Department's request, says Atlanta officers were sent to the home at about 8:45 a.m. after a caller reported a man with a gun who was going through a mental health crisis. Officers went inside and were talking with the 911 caller in a hallway, the GBI says, when a man carrying a gun appeared in that hallway. The agency identifies him as Michael Gates, 24, of Atlanta.
Gates fired on the officers and hit one of them, the GBI says, and the officers then returned fire. Gates was not hurt and was taken into custody straight away, according to the agency. A woman who lives in the house was injured as well. No agency has said whose gunfire hit her.
Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told a Monday news conference that officers had been called to that same address several times before, CBS Atlanta reported. The wounded officer told the chief this was roughly his third trip to the address, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. FOX 5 also reported the officers were on the Zone 4 day watch and had been given a report of an armed person in a mental health crisis.
Where in Atlanta is Oakland City?
The home is in the 1400 block of Clark Howard Lane SW, the GBI says. Atlanta News First placed it near Lee Street in the Oakland City neighborhood, and 95.5 WSB put the block in Oakland City as well.
Oakland City sits in southwest Atlanta, inside Fulton County, between Lee Street and Interstate 20. Several I-20 ramps were closed to traffic around 9:15 a.m. while the officer was driven to the hospital, Atlanta News First reported.
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What condition is Officer DeVante Matthews in?
Atlanta News First and FOX 5 Atlanta identified the wounded officer as DeVante Matthews, 30. CBS Atlanta reported that he has been with the department since September 2019 and works the Zone 4 precinct's day watch. The GBI release does not name him.
He was shot in the arm and driven to Grady Memorial Hospital. Schierbaum described his condition as stable and said he was expected to make a full recovery, CBS Atlanta reported; WSB-TV put the wound in his right arm. Atlanta News First reported he was struck in his bulletproof vest as well as the arm. The GBI says the officer was treated and released; WSB-TV reported officials told a city council meeting Monday that he was out of the hospital.
Mayor Andre Dickens and Schierbaum left a city Cabinet meeting and met the ambulance at Grady, CBS Atlanta reported. “We were right here when he came off of the ambulance,” Dickens said, according to CBS Atlanta. He said the officer was shaken and in pain but able to talk. Gov. Brian Kemp posted on social media asking for prayers for the officer, Atlanta News First and FOX 5 Atlanta reported.
Who else was hurt inside the home?
The GBI says a woman who also lives at the address was injured, taken to a hospital, treated and released. Atlanta News First and FOX 5 Atlanta reported that officers found her inside as they cleared the house, with an apparent gunshot wound to a leg, and that she was alert and breathing when she was taken for treatment.
Neither the GBI nor the Atlanta Police Department has said how the woman was wounded. She has not been named.
Who is in custody, and what did the chief say about charges?
The GBI names the man taken into custody as Michael Gates, 24, of Atlanta, and says the Atlanta Police Department is investigating the aggravated assault. WSB-TV reported that Schierbaum credited the officers on scene with calming the situation and taking Gates in.
Gates was being driven to Atlanta Public Safety Headquarters and would face charges that include attempting to take the life of an Atlanta officer, Schierbaum said at the news conference, according to CBS Atlanta. Schierbaum named no other specific counts at the news conference. Gates is accused, not convicted, and is presumed innocent unless a court finds otherwise.
CBS Atlanta reported Dickens saying Gates carries diagnoses of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, among other conditions; WSB-TV reported Schierbaum saying much the same. Those statements come from the two officials, not from any medical record made public.
Who is investigating the Oakland City shooting?
Two agencies have separate pieces of it. The GBI took the officer-involved shooting at the Atlanta Police Department's request, and says it will run an independent investigation and then hand the case to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office for review. APD kept the aggravated assault case.
The GBI calls its account preliminary and says the investigation is active. No finding has been announced about the officers' decision to fire.
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What we don't know yet
- How the woman in the home was wounded, and by whose gunfire
- How many officers fired, and how many rounds were fired by anyone
- Whether formal charges have been filed against Michael Gates, and what they are
- Whether Gates has a first appearance date, or a lawyer
- The woman's name, age and condition beyond being treated and released
- Whether the officers who fired have been placed on administrative leave
- Whether body-camera video exists, and whether any of it will be released
- What the earlier calls to the address involved, and how they ended
Who takes information about this case?
The GBI asks anyone with information to call its Atlanta Regional Investigative Office at (770) 388-5019. Tips can be left anonymously at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), or through the form at gbi.georgia.gov.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the Atlanta police officer who was shot in Oakland City?
Atlanta News First and FOX 5 Atlanta identified him as Officer DeVante Matthews, 30. CBS Atlanta reported that he joined the department in September 2019 and works day watch out of the Zone 4 precinct. The GBI press release does not name him.
Is the officer's name spelled DeVante or DaVante?
Both spellings are in print. Atlanta News First and FOX 5 Atlanta spell it DeVante Matthews. CBS Atlanta spells it DaVante Matthews. Cox's WSB-TV and 95.5 WSB write Devante Matthews. The GBI does not name the officer. The Local Alert uses DeVante.
Where did the Oakland City officer-involved shooting happen?
At a house on Clark Howard Lane SW, in the 1400 block, the GBI says. Atlanta News First placed it near Lee Street in the Oakland City neighborhood of southwest Atlanta.
What time did the shooting happen?
The GBI puts the response at about 8:45 a.m. on Monday, August 17, 2026. FOX 5 Atlanta and CBS Atlanta put it at 8:41 a.m.; Atlanta News First said around 8:40 a.m. Cox's WSB-TV and 95.5 WSB split between the two.
How badly was the Atlanta police officer hurt?
He was shot in the arm and taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. CBS Atlanta reported Chief Darin Schierbaum described his condition as stable and said he was expected to make a full recovery. The GBI says the officer was treated and released, and WSB-TV reported officials told a Monday city council meeting he was out of the hospital.
Did Atlanta police officers fire their guns?
Yes. The GBI says Gates fired on the officers first and wounded one of them, and that the officers then fired back. The GBI has not said how many rounds were fired by anyone, or how many officers fired.
Was Michael Gates shot?
No. The GBI says Gates came through it unhurt and was taken into custody right away.
Who else was injured in the Clark Howard Lane shooting?
A woman who lives in the home. The GBI says she was injured, taken to an area hospital, treated and released. Atlanta News First and FOX 5 Atlanta reported officers found her inside with an apparent gunshot wound to a leg and that she was alert and breathing. The GBI has not said how she was wounded.
What charges does Michael Gates face?
The GBI says the Atlanta Police Department is investigating the aggravated assault. CBS Atlanta reported Chief Schierbaum said Gates was headed to Atlanta Public Safety Headquarters and that the counts against him would include attempting to take the life of an Atlanta police officer. Schierbaum announced no other specific charges at the news conference. Gates is accused, not convicted, and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Why is the GBI investigating instead of Atlanta police?
Because the Atlanta Police Department asked it to. The GBI release opens by saying its agents are investigating at APD's request. Georgia agencies routinely hand a shooting involving one of their own officers to the GBI so that part of the inquiry is independent. APD keeps the aggravated assault case.
Who reviews the GBI's findings in this case?
The GBI says it will conduct an independent investigation and that once it is complete, the case file goes to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office for review. The GBI does not decide whether a shooting was justified.
How do I give investigators information about the Oakland City shooting?
The GBI asks anyone with information to contact its Atlanta Regional Investigative Office at (770) 388-5019. Tips can be left anonymously at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), or through the tip form at gbi.georgia.gov.
Sources
- Georgia Bureau of Investigation — GBI Investigates Officer Involved Shooting in Atlanta, GA (Aug. 17, 2026): the 8:45 a.m. response, the 911 call, the hallway account, Michael Gates named, officers returned fire, Gates not injured, the injured woman resident, both treated and released, the Fulton County DA review, the tip lines
- Atlanta News First — Officer shot in Oakland City released from hospital, suspect arrested: the officer identified as DeVante Matthews, near Lee Street in Oakland City, the vest and arm, the woman found inside, police have not said how she was involved, the I-20 ramp closures, Gov. Kemp's post
- FOX 5 Atlanta — Atlanta police officer shot in arm during call, police say: DeVante Matthews named, Zone 4 day watch, the armed-person report, the officer's account of a third visit, the woman found while clearing the home, the charge the chief described
- CBS Atlanta — Officer shot while responding to mental health crisis, suspect in custody: the September 2019 hire date and Zone 4 assignment, stable condition, prior calls to the home, Public Safety Headquarters, no other counts named, Mayor Dickens at Grady, the diagnosis statement, the DaVante spelling
- WSB-TV Channel 2 — Officer shot responding to mental health call, out of hospital: the right arm, the officer out of the hospital per officials at the city council meeting, the chief's praise for the responding officers, the chief's statement on Gates's diagnoses
- 95.5 WSB — Atlanta police officer shot while responding to mental health call: the 1400 block of Clark Howard Lane SW in Oakland City, the around-8:40 a.m. time
Compiled by The Local Alert Georgia Staff from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's press release and the named news outlets linked above. The Local Alert is not a law enforcement agency and not a law firm. The account of Michael Gates's conduct is the GBI's preliminary account, attributed to the GBI and untested in court, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. No finding has been announced about the officers who fired. Corrections and removal requests: see our corrections policy.
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