(Update #4) Timeline of Events & 911 Dropbox Link: - Jan 5^th 9:48 PM GCPD called to 1870 Beyers Landing Drive in Buford in reference to domestic dispute between a male and female

- The caller was not at the scene and was the 20yo daughter of the female involved in the dispute

- The daughter said that her mother’s boyfriend was holding her and her 15yo brother inside the home at gunpoint and threatening to shoot everyone and commit suicide

- The daughter was receiving information from her brother who was inside the house

- 10:03 PM the first two officers arrived at the location and began gathering information from the daughter who was outside with several friends

- 10:06 PM officer’s learned firsthand from the daughter that a male was holding a handgun to a child’s head inside the house and refusing to put the child and gun down

- The male was also stating that he was ready to die tonight

- Numerous officers began arriving at the location and surrounding the house

- 10:17 PM the shift commander activated the Swat team

- 10:27 PM officer at the scene spoke to mom who did not want to leave the house

- 10:30 PM officer at the scene spoke to the suspect on the phone and learned his name was Thy Ho

- Suspect claimed that he and his wife were about to come outside and he will have his hands up

- 10:32 PM officer lost contact with the suspect and attempted calling him back but received continuous voicemail

- 10:34 PM the first negotiator arrived at the scene and assumed control over negotiations

- 10:36 PM the first Swat officer arrived at the scene and began tactical assessment

- 10:38 PM officers learned that there were multiple cameras on the house that covered various angles and could be monitored from any mobile device

- 10:47 PM brother, sister, and her friends were secured at the command post

- 10:48 PM mother came out of the house and was secured by Swat

- At that point only the suspect, Thy Ho and his son, Phillip Nguyen were inside house

- Throughout the standoff negotiators spoke to the suspect numerous times over the phone and via text, the calls were very short with limited dialogue

- During those brief dialogues he requested to speak to his girlfriend

- Those requests were not granted due to the training and experience of negotiators

- Generally direct third party negotiations are avoided especially in hostage situations for fear of the suspect making a last statements to a loved one

- At 3AM the suspects parents were called to the scene

- Negotiators told the suspect when the parents arrived in hopes that he would surrender

- At 4:06AM the suspect’s parents received a text picture of the suspect and child lying in the bed. In the photo the child was asleep

- The suspect text his parents multiple times and attempted to call his girlfriend throughout the night

- Overnight Gwinnett Police Swat had a window of opportunity and entered the interior of the house from the garage

- 6:00 AM due to the frigid temperatures and duration of the standoff, the decision was made to employ mutual aid and request the DeKalb Police Swat team

- 10:42 AM DeKalb Police Swat began slowly relieving Gwinnett Swat and assuming tactical control and negotiations

- 11:16 AM the suspect is observed with a handgun and holding the child

- 11:17 AM the suspect is heard moving a dresser behind the master bedroom door to fortify his position

- 3:13 PM negotiators established verbal contact with the suspect from inside the house

- 3:15 PM suspect appeared agitated and began speaking in his native language

- 3:39 PM the suspect apologized to the officers as they are requesting that he come to the door

- 3:44 PM negotiators hear the child making noise and the suspect asks for food

- 3:45 PM negotiators establish contact with the suspect over the phone and he asked for cigarettes

- 3:48 PM negotiators lose contact with the suspect over the phone

- 4:34 PM one shot is fired through the master bedroom door towards tactical officers.

- Seconds later, two additional shots are fired by the suspect that is when he and the child are shot

- Tactical officers immediately enter the master bedroom where they find the suspect and child suffering from gunshot wounds

- Both were immediately evacuated from the scene.

- The child was flown by helicopter to Egleston hospital and the suspect was transported by ambulance to Gwinnett Medical Center

Dropbox Link 911 Calls

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/g5gq6lodp43x0zq/AAA7KOL94avp30P8_qjP_wgUa?dl=0

(Update #3) At this point we can confirm that the suspect, Thy Ho (43yo) is deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. We can also confirm that his son, Phillip Nguyen (2yo) is also deceased from a gunshot wound caused at the hands of his father. Next of kin has been notified for both decedents. The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner will determine the official manner and cause of death for both decedents. Police are processing the crime scene at this point. Doc Hughes Road has been reopened and the citizens in the Beyers Landing Subdivision are free to come and go as they please. (DW)

(Update #2) Throughout the course of the day, members of the Gwinnett County SWAT Team and the DeKalb County SWAT Team have been attempting to negotiate a peaceful resolution to this hostage situation.  At times, officers made contact with the suspect inside the home, by phone, and by text. 

At approximately 4:40pm, officers heard a gunshot from within the master bedroom of the home.  Officers quickly made entry into the room.  Upon their entry, the suspect shot himself.  The officers quickly grabbed the baby and noticed that he had received a gunshot wound.  The baby was immediately removed from the home and placed in the waiting helicopter. 

The baby was transported to Children’s Healthcare in Atlanta suffering from serious, life threatening injuries. 

The suspect was transported to the Gwinnett Medical Center in serious, life threatening condition. 

The status of their conditions is still unknown at this time. 

Members of the Criminal Investigations Section and the Crime Scene Unit are currently at the scene. 

No names have been released for anyone involved.  (MP)

(Update #1) All residents of the Beyers Landing Subdivision who are not next door to the target house can leave the subdivision. Those residents will not be allowed access back into the subdivision until the situation has been resolved.  (DW)

(Buford, Georgia) At approximately 10PM last night, Gwinnett County Police responded to the 1700 block of Beyers Landing Drive in Buford. The call was in reference to a domestic dispute between a male and a female. The caller identified himself as the son of the female. He claimed that an Asian male who was the boyfriend of the female was holding several people inside the home at gunpoint. The male was threatening to shoot everyone inside of the home and then commit suicide. When police arrived at the location, they requested the Gwinnett County Police SWAT Team to respond to the location.

After SWAT personnel began tactical operations, the female and several other people were allowed to exit the home to safety. However, a two year old male remained inside the home with the suspect. Negotiations are underway and the situation is being treated as a hostage situation. Arrest warrants have been obtained for the suspect for Aggravated Assault. At this point, the neighborhood is blocked to both exit and entry due to the seriousness of the situation. The residents that live in the subdivision have been urged to shelter in place and stay away from doors and windows. The Gwinnett County School System has been made aware of the situation and no school buses will travel in the area.

Due to the frigid temperatures and duration of the incident, DeKalb County Police SWAT Team has responded to the scene to provide mutual aid to the tactical officers that have operated all night and into the morning. It is paramount that the safety of all parties involved be maintained by utilizing every resource that we have to resolve this situation in a peaceful manner.   (DW)