Man dead after being shot by Smyrna police following confrontation

A tragic incident involving a Smyrna man, Marthely Theodore, who was under investigation for allegedly pointing a gun at passing motorists, ended in his death after a confrontation with the police. Fortunately, no police officers were reported injured during this incident.

The Smyrna Police Department said their officers, along with Cobb Police, responded around 4:37 p.m. on Friday after dispatch received multiple 911 calls about an armed man pointing a gun at passing vehicles in the area of Benson Poole Road and Crimson Maple Way. 

The man in question was identified as Theodore, a 26-year-old resident of Smyrna. 

Per a report on the incident, Smyrna Police and Cobb County Police engaged Theodore. Despite multiple requests from the officers to drop the firearm, Theodore repeatedly pointed the weapon at them. 

The report stated, “Officers repeatedly asked the man to drop his firearm, and the man advanced towards officers, raising his firearm towards officers. He was subsequently shot by the officers and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.”  Theodore passed away from his injuries at the hospital.

At the request of the Smyrna Police Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations initiated an investigation into the incident on Friday. Upon completion, the case file will be submitted to the Cobb Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.
Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Conyers at (770) 388-5019.

Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or through the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

This is the 81st officer-involved shooting in 2023 that the GBI has been requested to investigate.